How Can I Begin to Tell You?
by iEclipse13
Summary: Karinami hates Sasuke, and he has no idea why. When they're forced to go on a mission together as a two-man team, sparks fly, but could it be that they just don't understand one another?
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** ___**PLEASE READ!**_** If you have not already read my short fanfiction "Beginning", please read it before you continue. It will save you from a lot of confusion.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters or settings. I can't quite remember who to give credit to, but the only thing that I made up is Karinami Iruzika and everything having to do with her, including Roka and her lineage. For some reason, I made it so that the characters are 15-16 years old but…they're still Genin. NO they aren't dumb. I just made it that way—Dattebayo! Also, some of the people may be a little out of character. I am not an **_**expert**_** on Naruto. The end.**

_Rinnnnnnnnng!_ The ever-annoying bell-like chime of my alarm clock blared loudly as the sun peeked over the treetops. Another day. Joy. It would just be the same old routine of trial and error try-to-beat-the-crap-out-of-your-sensei. We never won, even though it's always an uneven fight of 1 to 4. So, whoever said that thing about how numbers win wars, you just got served a large slice of humble pie. Yummy, yummy.

Remembering my next-apartment-over neighbor and cousin Kiba's uncanny way of sleeping through his wake-up call, I rapped on my right wall. I continued, unceasing, until I heard Kiba-kun fall off his couch-like bed and Akamaru started pawing at the wall we shared. Most people say that they felt so bad about me having to wake up my neighbor, but I politely reply that it is completely fine. After all, poor Shino is the one who has to make sure that Mr. Genius Shikamaru gets up every morning. What a drag, as he would say!

Bracing myself for the light, I shoved my window curtains all the way open and immediately regretted it—it was far too sunny for my tastes. Like, if there had been snow on the ground, anyone who looked outside would be blinded. Groaning, I fell back onto my palate with a dull thud. Nobody would care if I fell back asleep, would they? After all, Kakashi was always late. I could rest for another hour or two and I'd still get there in time. And, that way, I wouldn't have to put up with usually annoying Naruto for near as long!

"Karinaaaaaaaaaaaaami!" Sakura's aggravating whine sounded from outside my door, disturbing my fantasies. "Are you ready yet? I don't wanna have to put up with the annoying blonde midget on my own! He is such a pain!"

_And you're dragging me into it why?_ I wondered mentally.

"Ka-riiiiii!" Sakura screeched again. "Hurry _up_ already! I wanna go and see Sasuke! If we wait much longer, Ino might be there and _steal_ him! Come _on_! You're taking too long!"

"Sakura, chill out! I'm going already! Don't have a cow! We're not gunna be late! And Ino never gets there early—she spends too much time brushing her hair in the morning!" I insisted snappishly, pulling my black outer dress over my leggings and undershirt/ belly shirt-tube top. I then, in an attempt to find my giant purple waist-ribbon with my symbol on it, tripped over one of Akamaru's stray dog bones. The hard floor rushed up to greet me as I fell flat on my face.

"_Ohemgee_, Karinami are you okay?" Sakura gushed, hearing me fall.

"I think so—ouch!" I moaned as I felt a bruise already beginning to form.

Outside my room I heard another voice that was definitely better than hearing Sakura's again.

"Why the heck are you standing outside the door of my very distant cousin?"

"Gaara-sama? What in the world? I thought Temari, Kankuro, and you were going on some important mission today!"

"No, Team Guy's heading off on a mission today and will be back in a few days, and Team 10's gunna be on some long journey three weeks from tomorrow but we're not going anywhere for awhile," he answered.

"Oh, okay, I guess I heard wrong."

"Karinami?" Gaara questioned. "You still in there? Or have you escaped out the window yet?"

"Nope, I'm still here!" I managed, hopping around as I laced my shoe-ribbons around my legs. "Hold on just a second! I'll be out in a minu—_ahhhhh_!" I screamed like a little girl as I tripped over Akamaru's toy again.

"Kari, are you okay?" Gaara rushed, sounded very unlike his normal self.

"Stupid dog toy! Gosh Dangit, I need to have Kiba get these out of here!" I groaned, picking myself off the floor yet again. Yay, more bruises!

I heard Gaara chuckle hauntingly, then Temari called him from down the hall and I was stuck with an impatient Sakura again.

"Come _on_ Karinami! You're _soooooooooooooooooo _slow!" She urged.

"I'll be out in just a second!" I replied, making sure that my Shiraseru-Omamori (telling-charm) was on was on my neck.

"You'd better be!"

I ran around my room frantically, pulling my hair up into non-girly, low-set pigtails and leaping over all the crud on my floor. Anger and frustration sent a wave of heat up my cheeks and I stubbornly tried to resist my Funayūreiinabikari (Yuribikari for short) as best I could.

Lastly, I began to tug on my arm gauntlets, carefully stepping over the last bone that was in my way. I yanked open the door and there stood Sakura, arms folded across her chest and her foot tapping.

"Okay, I'm set," I affirmed, "as long as we don't need our kunais and shurikens today. Iie? Then let's go."

"About time!" She squealed, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me ferociously down the hall. I almost protested, but then decided not to waste my breath. There was no way that Sakura would listen to me.

By the time we reached the hollow where Kakashi-sensei always met us, Sasuke and Naruto had already arrived but, as I predicted, Ino wasn't quite stupid enough to come all the way out here to flirt. It wasn't worth getting busted.

"Oh, hey, Karinami," Naruto greeted enthusiastically. "Hi, Sakura," he added in a candied tone. It was no secret that he liked her.

She ignored him and went straight to Sasuke. "Sorry we're late," I apologized. "It was my bad. I only tripped over about 50 of Akamaru's toys this morning."

Naruto burst out laughing but managed to tell me, "I thought you looked a little bruised up today."

"Gee, thanks, Naruto."

"Anytime, Kari."

Sakura, who had temporarily given up throwing starry-eyed looks at Sasuke, glanced around blandly. "Ugh, Kakashi's late—again. Is he _ever_ on time? I think he's even late to meetings with the Hokage!"

Bored as heck, I sat down, holding my knees to my chest. Criss-cross had been ruled out as a sitting style for me by Roka _way_ back when I was about six. That would be the occasion when some traveling, 14-year-old, inappropriate Chunin that was visiting our town noticed I was wearing a dress while sitting down. Let's just say, that, since he could control the wind especially well, I was _really_ glad that I was wearing leggings. Don't look too surprised—I said he was inappropriate.

Sakura followed my example, still peeking at Sasuke about once per second. He looked both bored _and _peeved with all the attention, but I knew that somewhere deep inside himself he enjoyed it. His entourage plus most girls' adoration had made him pretty arrogant and stuck-up holier-than-thou. Why Sakura fawned over him, I can't even begin to comprehend. Sure, he may be kind of cute, but he was such a cocky jerk! It doesn't matter that he's "hot" or whatever, I LOATHE him.

It was only a relatively short period of time before Naruto's stomach began to growl loudly.

"I'm hungry," he complained. "I could really use some Ramen right about now."

"Suck it up, _baka_," Sakura sneered. "We're all hungry."

"Actually—" I began, but Sakura cut me off.

"_Iie_, Karinami—you _are_ hungry, you just haven't realized it yet."

There was no use arguing with her. I almost replied, _Hai, mochiron, Sakura, and you're always right. Tadashii?_ but stopped myself.

I rolled my eyes at her and dropped the subject. We all lapsed into silence for uncounted hours without any sign of Kakashi. Where _was_ he? He was never quite this late. It had to be near lunchtime already! There wasn't even a trace of any other Teams. Where had they all vanished to?

As if called by my wondering, Yuhi Kurenai appeared with her eyes watchful. She surveyed the four of us intently. "Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Iruzika Karinami. What are you all here for? Aren't you supposed to be out training with Kakashi or something?"

"Technically, yeah," I admitted.

"So why am I standing here talking to four Genin Shinobi?" Kurenai pressed.

"We've been waiting for Kakashi-sensei, but he hasn't showed up yet." Sasuke said evenly, speaking for the first time that day. I couldn't help but notice he had brought along his kunais and was toying with one. Creepy.

"Really?" Kurenai looked surprised. "He hasn't shown up at all?"

"Nope," Sakura affirmed.

"Hmm. How about this—I've got to go and look after my cell and Asuma's since he isn't feeling very well today, but you all head back to Konohagakure and, if Kakashi's not there, go and report to Asuma. He'll just be around town since he's not feeling his best, so you'll be able to find him fairly easily. He'll most likely come up with _something_ for you four to do. But, just in case, I'll definitely keep my eyes open and tell you if I see Kakashi around. Sound good?"

"Yes, sensei," I chimed obediently, but worried about having to report to Asuma. Kurenai and I had become friends quickly, as was the same with Kakashi, but Asuma kind of scared me. He was friendly enough to his cell, especially Shikamaru, but sometimes he looked at me like he wanted to bite my head off.

Ever the complainer, Naruto began to whine. "Awwwwwwwwwwww, do we _have_ to get a mission from Asuma? Why can't we just get a free day?"

"You get free days after every long mission and sometimes more, Naruto! Do you really need another one?" Kurenai hissed impatiently.

"Yeah, I do—Believe it!" He insisted. "Nobody can live without off days!"

"Erm…Naruto?" I began shyly.

"Mmmmm?"

"Before I began training with Kakashi, the only 'off days' Roka gave me were when I was seriously sick or injured."

"Say **WHAT**?"

Kurenai laughed. "Well, that settles things. Now off you go! And you might as well practice using your chakra on your way back." She pointed up at the trees. "Remember—no hands, only feet!" Naruto groaned. We all hated the tree-climbing exercise. It was bad enough that all the Chunin and Jonin Shinobi could do stuff like this for hours on end without hardly any effort at all, but we had to practice—all the time. Not that I really needed it. All of my training with Roka had been individual stuff, so I'd gotten pretty good at controlling and concentrating my chakra. I don't mean to brag, but even Sakura's amazing chakra-tree-climbing abilities couldn't top mine by far. Ha. Sakura may be cute, but she's pretty dumb—a perfect Foxymoron.

While Naruto and Sakura complained, I obediently nodded to Kurenai and began climbing. Sasuke just rolled his eyes and started to ascend as well. Not because he enjoyed it or because he respected Kurenai over Kakashi, but because he just _had_ to keep training so he could kill Itachi.

I gritted my teeth. _Don't think you're the only one who has the right to murder Itachi, Sasuke, _I thought, knowing he couldn't hear me. _He ruined my life, too._

Just as I had accomplished my desired altitude in the tree, Kurenai turned and left as Naruto and Sakura finally started climbing.

"Hey, Kari-chan!" Naruto's call surprised me and I had to correct my balance before I could reply.

"Yeah?"

"After we're done today, you wanna go practice?"

Ah. He needed help again. That would explain why he asked me instead of risking it with Sakura. "Uh," I racked my brains for an answer. "I think I can—aw, shoot, I told Temari that I'd practice with her. Unless the three of us could all—"

"Oh, okay," he interrupted. "We'll all just have to practice together then!"

"Shouldn't we ask Temari-chan if she's okay with that…?"

"Nah, she won't mind—Believe it!"

Sakura, annoyed, changed the subject. "Man, I can't believe Kakashi-sensei didn't show up at _all_. It's so frustrating! And if he tries to use that dumb black cat excuse again I'm gunna scream."

Inwardly, I almost had to agree—it was annoying how we were ready on time nearly every day but our own sensei was late. Nevertheless, I wasn't about to voice any concerns. He was a Jonin and we were only Genin, so he could get away with making belated entrances.

"Hey, look, we're almost there!" Naruto panted, running across a branch upside-down. Sure enough, I could see the top of some buildings through a slight gap in the canopy of leaves.

_Thank goodness,_ I thought in relief. _It'll all be easy from here on out—_

"NOT SO FAST, FIENDS!" A small but angry voice emanated from the trees. I nearly fell in astonishment. Naruto just groaned as the "Honored Grandson" of the Hokage sprinted towards us—and tripped over his own foot.

"You really need to work on surprise attacks if you're gunna beat me to be the next Hokage, Konohamaru," Naruto addressed the figure on the ground.

Konohamaru raised his fist weakly and mumbled through the grass and dirt, "I'll…I'll get you one day…Naruto Uzumaki. Just…just you wait…!"

Sakura, perched on a thin branch, couldn't help but laugh. "No offence, Honorable Grandson but I, for once, agree with the midget _baka_ over there."

"Midget baka?" Naruto raved. "I'm not that short and I'm not an idiot! Sasuke's just taller than me 'cause of his dumb duck-butt hairstyle!"

Knowing it was useless to try and stifle my amusement, I flat-out started cracking up. By the time I could breathe again, Konohamaru had skulked off and Sakura had beaten the poop out of Naruto for insulting "her Sasuke". Said member of the Uchiha looked peeved, but I couldn't tell if it was because of Naruto, Sakura, or my none-too-polite laughter.

_Ah, go boil your head, pretty boy,_ I smirked, sticking my tongue out at him just because I could.

"Oh, crap!" Sakura gasped. "We're _totally_ wasting time! We need to get back to Kakashi—or Asuma—or whoever's waiting. Maybe Iruka-sensei or Roka-sensei will know where we can find Kakashi!"

"S…sure," Naruto agreed, carefully dabbing his black-and-blue eye.

We resumed our tree-hopping, eager to be within the safe confines of the tall wall and busy buildings.

"Where d'you think we'll find Asuma-sensei?" I asked as soon as we were in the city, none too excited about it.

"In his room, I'd guess," a new voice said, "but why in the world would you need to find Sarutobi Asuma?"

Sakura whirled around. "Kakashi-sensei!" She squealed.

Kakashi, for it was indeed him, raised an eyebrow. "Yes, who else? You all are very late, by the way," he added as an afterthought.

"_We're_ late?" Naruto yelled. "No, _you're _late! We've been waiting for _hours_!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes and slapped himself on the forehead. "Naruto, I told you yesterday to tell everyone that we were meeting _here_ today. _I've_ been waiting for hours! I knew I should've told somebody else instead of you…" Naruto cringed.

"You Baka!" Sakura screeched. "Idiot! We just wasted half of a day on your stupidity! Ugh, Naruto, you are such a pain! You said that we were training today, not that we were going on a mission! BAKA!"

"Hn," Sasuke huffed, his eyes nearly throwing kunais at Naruto.

Naruto looked confused, then his blue eyes lit up and he laughed nervously. "Oh _yeah_, I remember now! Heh, my bad."

Kakashi sighed. "I guess you'll just have to be content with a quick, easy, D-level mission today, then. We don't have time for another one."

I groaned, annoyed. "Another cat-catching one?"

"Unfortunately for you, yes," Kakashi-sensei admitted with amusement. "And I believe it's the same cat from the other two times. That lady can't keep track of her own 'darling' pet!"

"Well, let's just get it over with," Sakura seethed. "It shouldn't be hard."

And hard it was not. At first Sakura was so ticked off that she tried trapping the cat by threatening it with a kunai, but that just made the animal skittish. Since we'd chased after said kitty several times before, I had just had to sit on the ground and call its name encouragingly a couple of times and it came right to me.

"Good job, you four," Kakashi praised us even though we didn't need it. "Now, _tomorrow_, I will expect you in front of the Academy at 6 a.m. sharp. We have another C/B-mission, and it should be a good experience for all of you. Other than that you're free to go now."

"Great!" Naruto punched a fist in the air. "C'mon, Kari, you promised we'd go train when we were done."

"I'll go and find Temari, okay?" I reasoned, hoping she wouldn't kill me for letting him join us.

"Okay, I'll be at the training area. You guys—er, girls—are no match for my skills. Believe it!" He dashed off.

"Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara should be over that way," my sensei offered, pointing in the general direction he was referring to.

"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei!" I called over my shoulder as I started off west. "See ya' tomorrow, Sakura and Sasuke!" I considered leaving Sasuke off the end for being such a self-absorbed, arrogant, stuck-up, jerky, butthead, but reconsidered. He _was_ in my cell, after all.

Just like Kakashi suggested, I ran into the Sand Siblings almost immediately after branching off. "Hey, you guys!" I waved cheerily. "You ready to rock, Tem-chan? I hope you don't mind Naruto joining us; he insisted."

"Oh, Baka Uzumaki?" She confirmed. "Fine. I'd prefer to not have to put up with him, but I'll live."

"Yeah, same here. Let's go. Keep wearing your kitty hat, Kankuro!"

"Will do, Kari-chan!" He answered, laughing. Gaara just waved good-bye. I waved back, grinning, and began to walk away with Temari.

"Don't get creamed, _Shinseki_!" Kankuro added, laughing.

"Like that could ever happen, _suna-kuroneko_!" I returned, teasing him by calling him a black sand cat.

"_Yamete, Bijin Ooarashi!_" (_Translation: "Stop it, Beautiful Tempest!"_ Beautiful Tempest was Karinami's unofficial nickname according to Kankuro since she was regarded as very pretty but hot-headed.)

I ignored him. By the time Temari and I reached the practice grounds, Naruto looked impatient. "What took you guys so long?" He demanded.

"Naruto, I was gone for less than five minutes!" I protested.

"Well, yeah, but I wanna get this over with so I can eat some Ramen! I had close to nothing for lunch."

"Yeah, right!" I muttered sarcastically. "You ate two whole bento boxes!"

"And…?"

"Forget it, Naruto, you're hopeless. Let's just train and go home, 'k?"

"Rodger that," Temari winked and whipped out her giant fan.

"You both are toast—Believe it!"

"In your dreams, Naruto, you're going _down_! Say your prayers!"

We all fought ferociously. Temari and I were both bruised and slightly bleeding from some small scratches when we were done, but Naruto looked the most beat up—not that that was a shock or anything. He blamed it on his 'meager' lunch ("I'll get you next time when I'm not half starved—Believe it!").

Temari smirked. "I'll 'Believe it' when I see it, Baka Uzumaki. But for now—I'm goin' to bed. Will I see you tomorrow, Karinami-_Shinseki_?"

I frowned. "No, probably not. Kakashi-sensei's sending us on a C/B-mission tomorrow, and they're usually pretty difficult."

"Ooh, C/B-mission. Where're you going?"

"We didn't get a chance to find out."

"That's totally crappy. I mean, I'd totally want to know where I'm going so that I could like prepare and stuff. I can't believe that Kakashi would just leave you hanging like that…it's kind of rude…no offence to him or anything."

"Tell me about it."

"Well, good luck, you two."

"Thanks—"

"Ah, it'll be a piece of cake! Believe it! Whatever's wrong, it's no match for me _or_ Team 7!" Naruto gave us a cheeky grin and a thumbs-up. "But, if you ladies don't mind, I'm going to grab some chow and hit the hay. Big day tomorrow."

"Yeah, you're right," I confessed. "I should do the same. See you in a few days or something, Tem-chan. Tell Kankuro and Gaara that I said bye. Oh—could you tell Kiba-kun and Akamaru, too? He's related to me as well; I keep forgetting. I don't know how I forget since he looks a heck of a lot like Roka-sensei, but I just can't seem to keep the thought in my head. I'll stop by Roka's myself, though…he'll want me to tell him where I'm going. Fatherly instincts and all…"

"'Course I'll do that for you, Kari. Hang in there!" I was off to Roka's before she could give me some mushy, bone-breaking good-bye hugs.

Luckily, my adopted dad/adopted brother/first sensei was still up. "Hey, Kari, why are you here so late?" He greeted, hugging me.

"My cell's going on a C/B-mission early tomorrow and we might not get back for awhile. I came to say good-bye."

He grinned. "Kakashi said something about that. It should be really fun for you and your cell…heh, especially if…" he stopped and chuckled. "Be good out there and kick some butt, you hear me?"

I nodded.

"That's my girl, _Moeteimasu -Tsubame_, that's my girl." (_Moeteimasu-Tsubame_, or Fire-Swallow, is another of Kari's nicknames because she is one of few people that can use her chakra to create a tiny swallow used for messages and spying.)

Morning. I was still aching from practice yesterday and felt half-dead as I pulled on my tadashiirui and gathered my arsenal of weapons. Kunais—check. Shurikens—check. Fists—check. Heeled shoes—check. Chakra—still too tired to work with it, but check. I met my cell at the Academy—6 a.m., right on the nose.

There was no idle chitchat between the four of us, even with Sakura and Naruto there. Kakashi, usually hours late, showed up at 6:15.

"Ready to go?" He asked. We nodded with differing levels of enthusiasm. "Good. This mission will be a very new concept from the others, so listen up: a few days ago, two separate two-man teams from the Akatsuki were seen in different parts of _Hi no Kuni_. Though they made no effort to be stealthy or cover their escape route, they both got away without anyone being able to directly identify them. Both parties made off with hefty amounts of money. Your job is to get to where they stole the money and follow their obvious route of egress. You must be _very careful_, as it could be a trap. Find out where they are or what they're planning if possible. If the situation gets too dangerous, pull out and we'll up the mission rank so that some advanced Chunin or Jonin can take over. I'm amazed that the Hokage is even allowing you to take on this mission without me."

"You're not going?" Naruto sounded excited.

"Nope. You guys are on your own on this one. Huh, _kooun_."

"Oh, _yeah_!" He grinned. "Let's go, guys—!"

"Not so fast," Kakashi cut in. "_Doko ni ikimasu ka_? You don't even know where you're going. Besides, I said _two_ different Akatsuki teams in _two_ different areas of the Land of Fire."

"So?" Sakura quipped, fiddling with a shuriken. "We'll track both of 'em down, one after the other!"

Kakashi shook his head. "_Iie, iie_, you're not thinking. The trail of broken sticks and bruised plants won't be around long. I'm splitting you all into groups of two. I _said_ that this mission would be a very new concept."

My heart dropped. _Teams of two?_ Suddenly, I couldn't breathe. Oh, _no_. What if I got stuck with cocky Sasuke? I'd rather _die_!

"So," our sensei went on, "the teams will be—"

_Not Sasuke and I, Kakashi-sensei, please. I'll die. I'll commit suicide. Kunai to the heart—boom. Please, sensei, don't pair me with Duck-Butt—_

"—Naruto and Sakura going north and Sasuke and Karinami going east." CRUD!

Sakura's cries of protest were lost on me. Sasuke—and me? For a few days, if not longer? D***. I'm gunna die. …D***, Kakashi, I'm gunna die and you're to blame. Tell Roka, the Sand Siblings, Kiba, and Akamaru that I love them, 'cause I'm gunna die.

**AN: Like? Dislike? Your opinion would be great, I'm always looking for ways to improve! Any questions? Fire away! Thanks so muchness for your time, reviews, and questions! The end.**

_Mini dictionary:_

_Hai: yes_

_Iie: no_

_Baka: stupid, idiot_

_Mochiron: of course, naturally, sure_

_Tadashii: right, true_

_Shinseki: cousin_

_Suna-kuroneko: "black sand cat"_

_Yamete: stop_

_Hi no Kuni: Land of Fire_

_Kooun: good fortune or good luck_

_Doko ni ikimasu ka: where are you going_


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters or settings. I can't quite remember who to give credit to, but the only thing that I made up is Karinami Iruzika and everything having to do with her, including Roka and her lineage. For some reason, I made it so that the characters are 15-16 years old but…they're still Genin. NO they aren't dumb. I just made it that way—Dattebayo! Also, some of the people may be a little out of character. I am not an **_**expert**_** on Naruto. The end.**

Noon found me going east from Konohagakure with Duck-Butt Uchiha. No miracles for me. We'd hardly spoken since we'd left Konoha, but I was already steaming mad. Like, so mad I could feel my eyes turning black and little blue-green sparks forming in my fists. If Sasuke hadn't already been aware that I hated his guts, he sure as heck knew now.

"So," Sasuke surprised me by speaking. "The starting point we're looking for is what again? A small town?"

I quoted Kakashi directly. "A small, largely unnoticed town east and slightly south of Konohagakure."

"Hn," was all he said, but I knew what he was thinking about—he wanted to know if Itachi was in one of the two-man Akatsuki teams that had performed the latest outrage.

We walked for several more hours, silent and tightly-strung with anxiety.

"Look!" I finally managed at near sun-down. "I can see the tops of buildings over there!"

"That must be where the Akatsuki stole all that money." Gee, thanks, Captain Obvious. Tell me something I _don't_ know.

"Sure," I offered, hiding my sarcasm. "Let's see if we can find a place to crash for the night there and, in the morning, we'll start following the obvious trail they left. I hope it's not a trap!" Sasuke nodded in silent agreement.

The small town looked quiet and peaceful when we arrived. It was awkward—standing in the midst of an unfamiliar village with only one person you knew. It was like my first day in Konohagakure all over again.

The first person that seemed to notice Sasuke and I was—duh—a teenage girl a few years older our 15. She took one look at me and my mixed symbol and another longer, dreamier look at Sasuke and his symbol and concluded: "You must be the Shinobi who were sent to investigate our issue with the Akatsuki, eh?"

"Yep, that would be us," I nodded. "If we weren't and were actually _part_ of the Akatsuki, you'd already be dead." I pointed meaningfully at the huge demon wind shuriken that Sasuke had strapped on his back and at my kunai pouch on my leg.

"I guessed as much," the girl sniffed haughtily. "So, are you going to go and see Uta-san or what?"

"Uta-san?" Sasuke asked.

The reply was friendly, unlike the one _I'd_ gotten. "She kind of overlooks the town and stuff, like the Hokage or Konoha! You're so lucky you live in such a big, beautiful city and not in a small town like this one."

"Iie, not really," Sasuke said to my surprise. "I don't like living in large cities."

I decided not to agree vocally, though I preferred small villages as well. He didn't need to know. "So-o-o," I cut off the conversation. "Are we gunna go and see Uta-san or not?"

She shot me a death glare. "Hai, of course. Follow me." For awhile we weaved in and out of the crowds silently, but it wasn't long before our guide couldn't take it.

"I'm Yuki Tarakama, by the way. What about you?"

"Uchiha Sasuke," Duck-Butt replied, "and this is one of my cell's teammates, Iruzika Karinami."

"Oh, okay." I couldn't help noticing how Yuki seemed pleased by Sasuke's obvious stress on the word _teammates_. What, was she worried that we were…_together_ or something? Eew. The girl turned slightly to face me. "You're not from around here." It wasn't a question.

"No," I admitted. "I'm not from _Hi no Kuni_. I used to live in a village called Umi no Kyuuden, or the Palace of the Sea. My first sensei and adopted guardian Roka and I came here from where we live so that I could be braided into Kakashi-sensei's cell to further my Genin and Chunin training."

"Okay, I get it," Yuki dismissed airily. "Or are you just saying that because you were actually sent her because you needed remedial training with some _real_ Shinobi?"

I growled, my eyes turning black from my Kekkei Genkai. Yuki was about to taunt me further, but Sasuke pushed her aside.

"Watch it," he cautioned roughly. "Touch her while she's like that and your parents will be weeping over your dead body." His Sharingan flared as he grabbed a part of my arm uncovered by a gauntlet and forced my Yuribikari to fade away. Yuki looked scared at my aggravation, but soon diverted her attention back to baka Sasuke.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun, thank you _soooooo_ much! You saved me from such a cruel death. You're so _brave_, stopping her like you did !"

"Hn," he grunted, ignoring her clingy-ness. "Now are we going to see Uta-san before I'm 80 or what?"

"Hai, hai, of course! Actually, her hut's just across the road. There—the one with the red sign. You can surely make it there without me, tadashii?"

"Hai, we can, but why are you leaving us now? You've come all this way with us only to back out?" Sasuke asked.

"Uh…" Yuki struggled for words. "Actually…Uta…wanted to see if you could find her on your own. She told nobody to help you, which is why you were ignored. But—I just couldn't help it…"

I hissed. "And you still aided us? Now _we_ could get in trouble for your childish, infatuated games!"

Yuki hadn't quite lost her rudeness in her distress. "As long as Sasuke doesn't get in trouble, I don't really _care_!"

I ignored my anger and turned to my teammate. "Let's go, Sasuke, before she shanghais us into not telling Uta-san what happened." He nodded and began to lead the way across the still-busy street.

"Good luck, Sasuke-kun!" Yuki called fondly after us. I thought she was going to leave it at that, but—"And Karinami-chan?" I stopped and turned to look at her warily. She drew a line across her throat. "Go die in a very painful way."

I forced a smile. "Mochiron, Yuki-chan. Now go be a good little girl and beat it." I was so mad I couldn't stop my words, but she ignored me and scampered off daintily.

Sasuke was waiting in front of Uta's house. "What was that about—fond farewell wishes?"

"Oh, yeah, I totally want to see _her_ again," I said sarcastically. I could swear that _Kamo-Oshiri_ (Duck-Butt) chuckled, but I was already halfway into Uta's home.

"Konnichiha, Uta-san," I called out blindly. The house was dimly lit and the air was heavy with perfume. A threatening bark answered my greeting and a huge Akamaru-like dog bounded in front of Sasuke and I, growling and snarling. Next to me, Sasuke gripped a kunai.

Down the hall, a voice called an indecipherable name. The dog's ears perked up as a shadowy form began to glide towards us.

"_Suwaru_!" The voice commanded. Obediently, the dog sat.

"Thanks," I sighed in relief. "Now I know how it would feel to be attacked by Akamaru when he's mad!"

"No kidding," Sasuke agreed in a monotone voice, putting his kunai away.

"I am sorry," the voice said. "I did not think you were coming at this hour. I would have made sure that Iwa was chained up."

"Are you Uta-san?" Sasuke questioned.

"Hai, I am. Please, come this way" We were led down the long, dim hall and then into a room full of plush sofas, useless gold baubles, and the even thicker smell of pungent perfume.

"_Youkoso, youkoso_. Welcome," Uta-san greeted, motioning to the sofas. "_Kudasai_. Please, sit." Pulling off my backpack, I sank into the nearest raspberry-colored cushion. Uta made sure Sasuke and I were comfortable, then launched into the never-ceasing question, "_Ima, onamae wa nan desku ka, anata tachi ryouhou?_ Now, what are your names, both of you?"

"Iruzika Karinami," I responded.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Duck-Butt replied soon after me.

"Iruzika, you say?"

"Hai, Uta-san."

Uta reached over to pat Iwa—who had snuck in—on the head. "That means you must be related to those of the Inuzuka clan. My cousin's cousin's cousin was an Inuzuka. Iwa was her dog. After she died, Iwa was miraculously saved from his wounds and such and came here to live with me."

"I am not related to the Inuzuka clan by blood," I admitted, "Iruzika is my adopted guardian's name. I just came to use it when he named me as his own."

Uta was wise enough not to ask how I came to be an orphan in the first place. Instead, she drastically changed the subject. "So, to business. You're here to track the Akatsuki that stole all that money, tadashii?"

"Yes."

"The matter is certainly troubling," Uta remarked. "They made no effort to be stealthy. I must caution you as you go on; this could very well be a trap."

"Kakashi-sensei informed us on that," Sasuke told her.

"Good, then it will spare me from explaining." Uta stood up, her flaming orange hair rippling. "You must be very tired. I took upon myself the liberty of arranging rooms for whenever you may need them at our small inn. You may leave tomorrow if you wish. The escape route is just down the street we are on now."

"We may be gone for some time," I confirmed, "but thank you. We passed the inn earlier, so we should be able to find it again." I turned to _Kamo-Oshiri_. "You ready?" He nodded the affirmative.

"You may know where to go," Uta reminded, "but what would be to prove I sent you? Here, let Iwa go with you. Once you have been led to your rooms, he will come back to me."

"Oh. Uh, okay," I blurted, surprised.

As the three of us turned to leave, Uta-san hailed us again. "Oh, and you two?" We both turned to face her. She grinned. "If you see Yuki, please tell her to restrain herself from helping next time."

Sasuke and I cringed. "Sorry, Uta-san," I apologized, "we didn't know—"

"It is fine," she dismissed, waving her hand. "If anyone is at fault, it is Yuki-chan. Now go. You must rest."

I clasped my hands at my waist respectfully and bowed, then headed for the door. Duck-Butt, who had repeated the gesture, followed me. The perfume's scent was nearly choking.

The crowded streets had noticeably emptied since we'd last seen them. Luckily, Yuki Tarakama—the newest Sasuke-worshipper, obviously—was nowhere in sight. Iwa, determined to carry out his task, barked sharply and half-pranced in a circle to get our attention, then feinted playfully to the left, indicating the route to the inn.

"Ittekudasai, Iwa-kun," I urged, motioning for him to move on. "We'll follow."

Iwa barked the affirmative, turning some heads farther down the street, and bounded off.

I realized belatedly that the Inuzuka dog was _way_ fast. Duck-Butt and I lost him at the first intersection. "Hn, that pampered canine's more agile that he looks," Baka Uchiha admitted.

"Hey, Sasuke, d'you think that I could get traction on one of those roofs? Maybe I could spot Iwa from there—"

"No need," he interrupted, pointing. Uta's dog, noticing our absence, had doubled back to find us and was now waiting a few feet away. Sasuke and I dashed after him as he torpedoed off again.

"Gomen, senpai," I apologized as I half-collided with a 19-ish-year-old in the middle of the street. He just stared at me—like most guys. Roka always said it was my looks. I always thought it was my _lack of_ "looks", but I was beginning to believe him. If he was right…I hated my appearance. Attention is my own personal torture.

"Crap!" Uchiha huffed, stopping so suddenly that I nearly barreled into his back. "Lost him."

We both swiveled around as a giggle emanated from the right shoulder of the street. A group of girls—new additions to Duck-Butt's nationwide entourage—were huddled to the buildings, batting their eyes. Make me barf.

Sasuke displayed no reaction other than a slight acknowledging nod. "Konnichiha," he greeted plainly.

"Sasuke, over there!" I began to quickly chase the reappeared Iwa and Kamo-Oshiri, without a backwards glance at the girls, followed my lead.

"Hey, look, there's the inn!" I gasped. "Thank God!"

"Hn. Uta-san's dog has finally stopped playing tag with us, it seems."

Iwa barked, as if realizing we were talking about him, and trotted through the front door of the building with Duck-Butt and I trailing behind.

The owner of the inn was very short and round, but he had a kindly, good-natured grin. "Youkoso, my young friends," he spread his arms wide as if to embrace us along with the rest of the townspeople. "Shinobi from Konoha are always very welcome here, eh?"

"Uta-san sent us to—"

"Hai, I know why you are here. Iwa does not take to strangers well, so the Lady herself must have sent you. I am always pleased to accommodate guests of Uta-san, especially if they have been sent to help us with our troubles, eh?" He fumbled around with two old brass keys. "For your rooms, eh? I will show you the way there myself. Come along, now, follow old Juro."

As Iwa barked and left, we were led out of the small waiting area into a hallway with several doors on both sides. Near the end of the hall, Juro stopped and motioned to rooms number 13 and 14. "Number 13 for the lady, 14 for the gentleman. Here are your keys. The lady's restroom is down the hall to your left and the men's is down the hall and to your right. If anything is less than satisfactory, you will come and tell me, eh? If I am not around, you can always talk to my son, Akihiko. He should be somewhere in the inn most of the day. And when you leave, if I am not available to bid you farewell and _kooun_, you can just leave your keys on my desk up front. That will not be any trouble, eh?"

"No sir," I replied. "You have been more than welcoming; thank you."

He waved a hand. "Iie, iie, it is you _I_ should thank. You have come to help us. You left the comfort of your own home to aid a tiny, insignificant town instead of staying where you are safe. I thank you for that."

"Konohagakure is _not_ my home," I muttered sadly, but only Sasuke heard. With a polite bow, Juro left us.

Duck-Butt Uchiha started to open his door, but I stopped him. "Hey, you'll probably need this if we want to get anywhere tomorrow," I pointed out, handing him a bento box from my pack. He would only need one for breakfast; it was common for a layout of food to be kept in hotel rooms in _Hi no Kuni_ if it was anywhere near mealtime. Sasuke nodded wordlessly, finished unlocking his door, and started inside.

"_Oyasumi nasai_, Karinami-chan," Uchiha bid me good night and shut the door.

I unlocked my door as well and stepped inside. The room was well-furnished and comfortable-looking with sage-green walls and a wood floor with a tidy rug over it. The palate in the corner looked extremely welcoming so, despite my hunger, I slipped off my pack and began to prepare for bed. It was fully dark by the time I set a tiny, portable alarm clock and crawled onto my palate, and I fell asleep almost instantly.

I slammed my alarm off at about 5:15 in the morning. It was gunna be a long day. Pulling on all of my clothes and eating what was supposed to be a late dinner, I stepped outside my room with a sigh. After refreshing myself in the restroom and packing my stuff, I knocked on Baka Uchiha's door.

"Sasuke, are you up?" I asked quietly, not knowing if there were any other guests that I would disturb.

"He is out front," a voice said from behind me. "He was up at about 4:30."

I turned sharply to see the man I had charged into yesterday in the middle of the street. I assumed that he was Akihiko, Juro's son. "Ah, thank you. I would have really wasted a bunch of time just sitting outside of his door."

"I am Akihiko, by the way—"

"Hai, you are Juro's son, tadashii? I am sorry that I ran into you yesterday; we were in a great hurry."

"Aah, it is no trouble, there was no harm done. And yes, I am Juro's son. His only son. But I bore you! Your friend should be right outside."

"_Doumo arigatou gozaimasu,_ Akihika-senpai. Uh, do you know where on the front desk I should put this key?"

"I will take it for you and give it to my father. He is off on an errand."

"Oh," I managed awkwardly. Akihiko gave me the creeps; he was like some guy that wanted to…date me or something. Bleargh. "Okay, here it is then. Tell Jugo thank you for all the things he did for us. The hospitality was _amazing_. I don't think my palate in Konoha even compares!"

"I will let him know, I assure you."

His smile nearly made me shiver. "Oh…uh…thanks again, then, I'd better just…uh…go now…Sasuke's probably waiting for me…uhm…yeah."

Akihiko gave a tiny wave of his hand and I dashed off, feeling his eyes on my back as I sprinted down the hall.

Jugo, as his son suggested, was not in the waiting room as I quickly passed through. Also as his son had said, Sasuke was coolly waiting for me on the curb. He had his killer emotionless-emo-kid/holier-than-thou face on, which I nearly scowled at. How I kept my composure I _do not know_.

Well, let's get this one over with…gotta suck it up to the all powerful Uchiha Cockatoo-hair. "I'm so sorry, Sasuke, I didn't know you were planning on leaving so early. I totally would've gotten up earlier if I'd have known—"

"Hn, I was not planning on leaving earlier, I just got up when the day started to wake. I am in no hurry." His words were level and evilly hypnotizing. Gosh Dangit, wasn't my Yuribikari supposed to cancel out his Sharingan?

"Well I'm ready now, so we can go. We're gunna need daylight to track these guys if we want to be sure not to walk into a trap."

Sasuke nodded and began to lead the way back to Uta's house—the trail was in that direction. Reluctantly, I followed him as the sun brushed the rooftops with golden-yellow light. The route that the Akatsuki had taken was indeed very noticeable. Broken sticks, hacked-off tree limbs, scattered leaves, and bent plants were everywhere. It was almost like they had been planning on making their own footpath for us to travel on. Definitely trap material. Sasuke gripped his demon wind shuriken and walked in.

The path weaved and meandered through the dense forest, always wide and obvious. We had been following it for the better part of the day and exhaustion and hunger were beginning to claw at both _Kamo-Oshiri _and myself.

"There's no sense travelling any on for tonight; the trail just keeps going." Sasuke pointed out. "We should set up camp and get some rest."

"Hai," I agreed, gladly setting down my pack.

Duck-Butt was checking the area for booby traps while I got out the food, and I suddenly noticed that he was staring at me like he wanted to murder me—putting it lightly. His usually calm eyes were nearly blazing with anger. I looked at him sideways and remarked a little rudely, "What are you looking at, Uchiha?"

He literally snarled, "**W****HY THE HECK DO YOU HATE ME SO MUCH, ****K****ARINAMI-CHAN**?" Gee, you'd just noticed that I wasn't too friendly with you? Baka.

I justified my angry words with the thought that he _had_ asked. "Why do I hate you? Why do I hate you? Are you blind, idiot? Just look at yourself! A stuck up, arrogant, holier-than-thou, self-absorbed, warped creep like you can't even figure out how much of a butthead you're being? You think you're _all that_ and that every creature under the sun that isn't a guy will fawn over you like a little lost puppy! You think that you're the best and therefore superior to everyone else! You're a cocky jerk! Idiot! Even Naruto isn't dumb enough to think that he's a god, Sasuke-chan!"

His eyes narrowed and his voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "Did…did you just call me a girl?"

I laughed. "Yeah, does that bother you? It shouldn't be news! You're just a little sissy hiding behind your cool ninja kicks. Why don't you just go off to play with your kitties and let _me _finish this mission all by myself?"

The anger was wiped off of his face; it now registered only shock. I couldn't stop myself, no matter how hard I tried.

"You think that you have the right to live and kill everyone that gets in your way during your little hunt to kill Itachi, _hai_?" I stopped suddenly. I didn't even want to talk about this—Roka even avoided it. Still…the words just kept coming. "You think that you are the only one that has the right—that is _good enough_ to kill him, huh? You think that just because he ruined your life that you can be blind to everyone else? If all the Uchiha are like you, Duck-Butt, your whole clan put together wouldn't even be able to scratch Kakashi. They wouldn't even be able to scratch _me_! You think…"

_Stop, stop,_ my heart urged. I was close to tears; Sasuke was pale and still shocked-looking. I recovered, and went off again.

"You think that Itachi ruined your life and your life only." A tear trickled down my cheek involuntarily and I began to choke on my words. "You're wrong, baka. You're wrong. Did—d-did it ever-r cross your min-nd that he hurt others, to-oo?" I shut my eyes tight. "Your brother killed my mother. He killed my unborn brother. He killed my father. He _killed me _years ago—or at least my heart." I looked up at the surprised Uchiha. "Your. Brother. Ruined. My. Life. I had one cousin—one among my _whole_ family who was willing to take me in when my parents were killed. One! He was almost old enough to adopt me. He would've, too—six years ago, I would've become his daughter/sister. _Would have_. Thanks to your brother and the rest of his red cloud thugs, my _only_ loving blood-related cousin left on the face of the earth was shanghaied into the Akatsuki—I have to _fight_ against him now. I will never ever get to live with him as relatives again." I sobbed, wiping my tears to no avail. "Your brother killed me, and all you can think about is killing him yourself…"

Filled with rage, I blindly punched a tree so hard I nearly broke my hand, and then collapsed at its base in tears, unable to move. Sasuke said nothing.

***Sasuke's POV***

I couldn't think. I couldn't talk. I couldn't do anything. Scattered thoughts were the only thing my mind could handle.

_Itachi had killed her family?_

_Her only loving cousin had been forced into the Akatsuki?_

_She thinks I act like a girl and am just a puffball?_

_She thinks that I'm just a brat?_

_She's never been truly happy for as long as she can remember?_

I blinked. I'd never known…she'd never told me…I considered her slim, forlorn figure, curled up in a fetal position under the tree she'd just near punched into nonexistence. She looked so childlike and helpless—just how she must've felt when my brother killed her family. _How had he done it?_ I shook away the thought.

Glancing at Karinami, I decided to take watch for the whole night and let her cry.

**AN: As always rates, reviews, and questions are welcomed with open arms! Thanks so muchness for your time! I hope you enjoyed; I'll update soon. The end.**

_Mini dictionary:_

_Kamo-Oshiri: "Duck-Butt"_

_Suwaru: sit_

_Youkoso: welcome_

_Kudasai: please or in this case, please sit_

_Ima, onamae wa nan desku ka, anata tachi ryouhou: now, what are your names, both of you_

_Ittekudasai: please go_

_Konnichiha: good afternoon, or a greeting in general_

_Oyasumi nasai: good night_

_Doumo arigatou gozaimasu: thank you or thank you very much_


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters or settings. I can't quite remember who to give credit to, but the only thing that I made up is Karinami Iruzika and everything having to do with her, including Roka and her lineage. For some reason, I made it so that the characters are 15-16 years old but…they're still Genin. NO they aren't dumb. I just made it that way—Dattebayo! Also, some of the people may be a little out of character. I am not an **_**expert**_** on Naruto. The end.**

***Karinami's POV***

I woke up to a bright sun and trilling birds. _How long have I been asleep?_ I wondered silently. The fight of the pervious night flooded into my brain. Looking up at the tree above me, I cringed at the sight of a charred circle that had punched a hole part of the way through the trunk. Oops. I guess my chakra got a little carried away.

Glancing around, I saw Sasuke facing the opposite direction, obviously making sure no one jumped out and mauled us. I sat up tiredly, not saying anything. Uchiha was probably about to kill me already; I didn't need to give him another reason to slit my throat and blame it on the Akatsuki. To my surprise, he heard me moving around and silently handed me something to eat before packing up as to get ready to leave.

There was no conversation between us at all for a very long time. We finally came to what seemed to be the end of the destruction trail, and words were forced upon us. Such a discovery cannot be discussed without speech.

"Hn, it just…ended." Sasuke stated placidly.

"So…" I stopped. "Either…they decided to cover their trail more efficiently, or…they're still here."

"The second one, I believe," a voice emanated from somewhere above us. Sasuke and I immediately pulled out our weapons and readied our chakra, preparing for the worst-case scenario.

Two figures dropped from a nearby tree, one wearing an exiled headband from the Village Hidden in Hot Water, the other wearing an exiled headband from the Waterfall Village. The former had white hair and light purple-y eyes with—of course—the Akatsuki cloak and a very sharp-looking three-bladed scythe. The ladder wore a grey hood with the red-cloud cloak and had demonic eyes that had silver irises and black everywhere else and, where his sleeves were pulled up, I could see stitching.

"Yeah, like this is a C/B Mission," Sasuke hissed under his breath. "If these guys have any desire to kill us, we're pretty much bound for the grave."

The hooded figure, almost seeming to hear him, chuckled maniacally.

"Stop that, Kakuzu," the one with they scythe joked dryly. "You wouldn't want to scare the inexperienced little Genin or Chunin a**es, would you?"

I silently cursed not hiding my Shiraseru-Omamori—it told the men everything from my rank to my name.

"Heh, scare them, Hidan? They're trembling already!" The one named Kakuzu cackled. My blood ran cold.

"Leave them; it's not our duty to shed the blood of some brats from Konoha. Let's get back to base and hope Jashin forgives us for not torturing them to death."

"Brats?" Sasuke grinned—it was more like the smile of an assassinator than a display of joy. "You're in trouble now."

I willed myself to get angry, and my Yuribikari readily sprang to life, turning my eyes pitch black. One touch from me now would kill those guys without any struggle.

"Hey look, Hidan, she's got the Funayureiinabikari. I thought that lineage died a couple generations ago."

I was surprised that the man had ever even heard of the Yuribikari, but said nothing in case I accidentally let something slip.

"Aah, no, that line's not gone yet. Let's head out, Kakuzu, the guy's are gunna be ticked if we get back late, d*** it. Just forget these creampuffs and get out of here."

Sasuke, annoyed, whipped out a kunai and threw it as hard as he could at Hidan. The move surprised the Akatsuki immensely and the man's arm was nearly skewered.

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes. "He's fast. Definitely Itachi's brother, too."

Hidan sighed. "I didn't want to do this to you, but I guess Jashin is eager for some blood…Kakuzu…"

His partner nodded and faced me menacingly. Sasuke ran after Hidan as he disappeared among the leaves.

"So, just you and me, eh, _ghost-eyes_?" Kakuzu said, referring to my Yuribikari. "Let's see what Kakashi's little Shinobi are made of."

Within seconds, I was fighting for my life. Kakuzu stood at the ready, and then came at me with a flying kick. I blocked, barely missing his skin, and jabbed upwards with my own foot but he dodged it. Somehow, his fist made it around to punch me so hard I nearly had my shoulder dislocated, but I grabbed his bare arm in the process. I nearly screamed as he ripped his arm off at the black-threaded seam, the Yuribikari sparks never reaching his heart and brain where it would've killed him.

"Clever, little girl, but not clever enough!"

I let go of his arm and was ready to fight, but suddenly Kakuzu disappeared entirely. I looked around, confused, and then gasped as I was nearly killed by a heavy flow of his chakra that was arranged in a way I was not familiar with. The near-hit sent me reeling, giving him time to quickly re-attach his arm. Disgusting.

We engaged in taijutsu combat again, but his skills far exceeded my own and I found myself flat on my back more than once. The fourth time I got up again, Kakuzu was nowhere to be seen. I grabbed a large-ish shuriken and tried to locate my opponent. There was no time.

Before my brain could contemplate anything, something sharp and lethal was thrown into my abdomen somewhere below my spleen. I gasped and fell to my knees. Grimacing and pulling the sharp object in question out without thinking, I stood back up only to be greeted by another hurled projectile. This one pierced me right in the middle of my stomach and I braced myself as I ripped it out without moving. He had a perfect shot, apparently, and I could do nothing about it. Kakuzu's voice came from somewhere in the distance.

"I am sorry, girl, you really are a good fighter for your age. You may make a good addition to the Akatsuki someday—if you survive this."

One final kunai-like dagger was slammed into my stomach and then forcefully removed by Kakuzu, who was poised above me like a demon. I fell to the ground in agony, tasting blood in my mouth from a scratch near my lungs or something. My Yuribikari flared then started to fade, not being fed by the required energy. I, half-conscious, saw Kakuzu retrieve all of his now-bloody weapons and, with a final glance at me, vanish. I groaned, feeling red, life-giving liquid leak out of my abdomen. The smell of it was making me sick.

My mind began to wander uncomfortably. _Where's Sasuke, I wonder? I hope he's okay,_ was among my scrambled thoughts. _Wait, why do I care? Oh…yeah…that's right—he's pretty much the only one who knows I'm out here. _I winced, feeling dizzy._ Seriously, Duck-Butt, I may hate you but PLEASE don't abandon me. If you forget about me, dangit, I will find away to kill you myself._ Blackness started to eat away at my vision. _Please…be okay…Sasuke…I'm counting on you…_

***Sasuke's POV***

I came-to with a horrible headache. What the heck had happened? Oh—yeah…that stupid Hidan…leading me off like that and then knocking me out with the scythe butt—what a coward! He had said he wanted to kill me anyway!

I sat up painfully and then froze. Where was Karinami? _Crap._ Jumping up, I made my way back with the markers I'd made while chasing Hidan back to the escape-route's "end". There were some indications of a fight like charred branches, but the battle seemed to range across a wide area. I followed the destruction, thinking. _Why had that Kakuzu guy seemed to have fought with Kari when Hidan just knocked me out? The two obviously had very different views about what to accomplish on a mission._ Looking at the ground, I blanched at the sight of blood—and a lot of it. I forced my gaze up and—

My heart stopped and almost literally dropped into my feet. There, feet away, Karinami-chan lay unconscious on the ground, blood seeping out of three deep cuts in her abdomen. She was paler than I'd ever seen her; nearly blue-skinned; and there was no indication of life.

Quickly, I dashed over to her still form and checked the pulse on her neck. I sighed with relief as I felt a slow beat. Ripping out some cloth from a pouch on my leg, I removed her symbol plate and outer dress (thank God she has enough sense to wear leggings and a tube-top undershirt) and tightly bandaged her stomach before replacing her outfit. The bleeding had slowed, but she would still die if I didn't get back to civilization soon.

Biting my lip, I picked her up gently and began to run as fast as I could.

_Don't die, Kari-chan,_ I thought urgently. _Please don't die._

**AN: Sorry, short chapter, but did you like it? Yes! Cliffhanger! As always, questions and comments can be directed into reviews! Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters or settings. I can't quite remember who to give credit to, but the only thing that I made up is Karinami Iruzika and everything having to do with her, including Roka and her lineage. For some reason, I made it so that the characters are 15-16 years old but…they're still Genin. NO they aren't dumb. I just made it that way—Dattebayo! Also, some of the people may be a little out of character. I am not an **_**expert**_** on Naruto. The end.**

***Karinami's POV***

I knew that I was awake because I could feel a gut-wrenching pain searing through by body, but I could not move. I could not speak. I could barely think. I simply _was_, I was _existing_; I wasn't walking or talking or running or jumping…I just was. I guess I was lying down and breathing, but is that really considered to be an action if you cannot control it?

The first coherent thought that I was able to accomplish was only a simple truth: one way or the other, I was moving. Not physically using my arms and legs, but I _was being moved_ by someone. My next coherent thought? _Could be bad person moving me. Need to stop them. Hurt them. Knock them out. Do something._

Naturally, my most valuable weapon without moving is the Yuribikari. Willing myself to be furious, I gathered the energy that I had and fed it to my anger. I could feel weak sparks gathering in my heart. They would not be enough to murder, only stun. I braced myself for the fall, but—

"Hey, stop that, you could kill yourself." I felt my Kekkei Genkai die.

My brain whirred to life in recognition. Slowly opening my eyes and wincing at the light, my suspicions were confirmed. "Sa-Sasuke?" I muttered slowly, confused.

His eyes glared down at me and his voice turned sarcastic. "No, it's Kakashi. Of course it's me, who else?"

"Oh," was all I managed before closing my eyes again. It took a moment for my brain to link together three essential points: 1) Sasuke, 2) carrying, 3) me. _Wait…_ I reminded myself. _I don't even let Roka carry me! So what is this jerk doing…why the heck am I letting him treat me like I'm two?_

"Hold on a minute!" I gasped, my eyes flying open. This surprised Sasuke—who stopped and nearly dropped me.

"What the heck?"

"Why in the world are you carrying me? I can walk!"

"Yeah, right," he agreed. "And pigs can fly."

"No, seriously!" I insisted, trying to get up. "I'm fine."

"No way! You just got stabbed three times. I wouldn't be surprised if you—"

He was thinking that I might die, I knew, but that didn't matter. "Look, I'm fine, just put me DOWN!" And, ever so gracefully, I swung to my feet—only to loose my balance at my extreme, dizzying headache and fall flat on my butt.

"Ow," I pouted, realizing that Sasuke was right—pigs were going to be selling tickets for aerial shows before I could even stand up without aid. Nonetheless, I hoisted myself up with the help of a tree branch and motioned to Uchiha. "Let's blow this popsicle stand."

Sasuke chuckled, a half-smile playing on his lips. "Seriously, Karinami, you're not gunna make it like that." Was that worry in his voice?

"Come on, then, we'd better get moving," I pressed, and tried to take a step. Big mistake. What had been a throbbing pain where I'd been stabbed elevated to an agonizing deathblow that nearly made me throw up.

Sasuke, expecting my inevitable failure at walking, steadied me instantly, sighed, and looked at me with that caring but sarcastic 'you're an idiot but I will tolerate you' look. "Ready to give up now?"

I groaned. Watching my parents die had made me want to _never_ give in and to always be strong which was why I so often rejected help, but there was no way out of this one. I just couldn't do it. "Yeah," I finally admitted, hanging my head.

Sasuke shook his head slowly, seeming to read my mind. "Everyone needs help sometimes; they just don't want to make others think that they are weak." He looked at me oddly as he picked me up. "Anyone who can take what you have both emotionally and physically is not weak."

He began to walk again, and I was left in stunned silence.

*later*

The next thing I knew, I was looking up at the darkening sky from a patch of grass next to the trail we'd followed earlier.

"You're up," Uchiha, who was setting up camp, acknowledged.

"Wh-where are we?" I mumbled.

"An hour or so away from Uta's village I'd say. We can get help for you there."

"NO!" I surprised him by shouting. "We have to go back to Konoha. Everyone will be worried AND if those two freaks are following us or something, we could endanger the people of that village. Konohagakure has walls and guards; they could not hurt anyone there."

"That makes sense," Sasuke admitted, "but we have to hurry. You're not getting any better and you could get an infection."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." I massaged my temples, and even that seemed to hurt.

"Think you can eat anything?"

"Hah, fat chance. I'd puke most likely."

He sighed. "That's even worse. You'll starve to death on top of everything else if we don't get back soon. Kakashi wasn't planning on this mission being dangerous, so we didn't bring much stuff for wounds. They seriously mislabeled this job and we shouldn't have been allowed to go anyway! This is a Chunin mission, technically and we're just Genin."

"Yeah…" I agreed weakly. Ignoring my uncomfortably wet bandages and the searing pain, I curled myself up into a ball of agony and let myself drift off again.

*later*

After two sleepless nights and carrying me for hours on end, Sasuke was beginning to get visibly exhausted. Luckily, Konoha was looming on the horizon.

"Okay, so I may have let you lug me halfway across the Land of Fire, but you are NOT going to carry me around Konohagakure like Akamaru or something," I persisted.

Uchiha, unsurprisingly, allowed me to walk but insisted that he at least support my weight so that I didn't trip and 'hurt myself'. I sighed. The day before yesterday, I would've loved to kill him. Now…I couldn't even bring myself to call him a _baka_ after all he'd done to save my sorry, wounded butt. Avoiding attention, we took the back roads of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

"We should get you to a doctor," Sasuke urged.

I was feeling sick and lightheaded not to mention the ripping pain from Kakuzu's knife-thingies, but protested haltingly. "We…should report to Kakashi-sensei. He…needs to know what…happened so that eh can tell the Hokage to…send some Chunin or Jonin to…investigate."

My partner nodded. "Right. Where would he be, do you think?"

"Uh…training with Naruto and Sakura? They should be back by now; their city was much closer to Konoha than ours."

Correcting our route, we set off towards the training grounds. As we neared the field, I could see Kakashi sitting with Naruto and Sakura, not facing us.

"So, what did you two think of the mission?" He was asking them, still oblivious of Sasuke and me.

"What did I think?" I interrupted. "Two words: Never. Again." Kakashi nodded in acknowledgment without turning around, amused at our sudden arrival, but Naruto and Sakura whipped their heads around. Naruto instantly realized something was wrong.

"Karinami-chan, what happened to you?" He screamed. The short, ten-syllable sentence immediately set Kakashi-sensei on 'alert'. He too swiveled around, suddenly worried, and his visible eye widened as he saw Sasuke helping me stumble up.

"What happened?" He asked, next to us in a heartbeat.

Uchiha filled him in. "We met two Akatsuki guys at the end of the trail. One, named Hidan, led me off and then knocked me out whereas the other one, Kakuzu, decided to engage Karinami in a fight. They were both extremely skilled; neither of us stood a chance. If I would've had to fight as well, we'd be dead of blood loss in the middle of nowhere."

Kakashi paled. "Naruto and Sakura, take Karinami to the hospital. Sasuke, go and tell Iruka-sensei exactly what happened and that he should alert the Hokage. You may rest after that. I need to go and tell Roka."

Naruto put his arm around my waist and my arm over his shoulder as Sasuke dashed off and asked, "Shouldn't you tell the Sand Siblings and Kiba, too? They're related as well."

Kakashi sighed. "Knowing Gaara, he might go off and try to kill Kakuzu for even laying a finger on his cousin since they are so close, but I'll tell all of them anyway. They'll be very worried—especially Temari; she thinks of Kari as her sister almost." He paused and looked at me. "D'you think you'll be okay for now, Karinami?"

I made a face but nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can make it." Even my voice sounded weak and distant, I realized.

"C'mon, Kari-chan, let's go," Naruto coaxed, his tone worried and urgent. "Hey, Sakura, how 'bout you run along ahead and make sure they know we're coming? That way, we can get help pretty much as soon as we walk in the door."

"Okay," she agreed, not arguing for once.

By the time we reached the corner of the street, I felt ready to crawl into a hole and die and Kakashi had disappeared. The only thing that remained where we had all met up was a scattered trail of my blood.

***Kiba's POV***

"Good work, Hinata, you're definitely getting better!" Kurenai called to the lavender-eyed girl who had just exited the obstacle course. "Shino, you're next. Come on, this is the last time before we have to go off and help Fujita-san."

Out of the blue, I glimpsed the Sand Siblings running towards us. All three of them looked worried and surprised.

"Kiba-_Shinseki_!" Temari hailed.

"Hey, Tem-chan!" I replied, waving.

"You have to come with us—_now_." Kankuro insisted as they stopped.

"Excuse me," Kurenai interrupted, a little sharply. "We're in the middle of training here. Why should Kiba and Akamaru be dismissed without my authorization?"

Gaara stepped in, speaking in a dangerously low voice. "He should be dismissed, _sensei_, because his cousin's two-man team was attacked by the Akatsuki and she is currently in the critical ward of the hospital without the complete assurance that she will live. Now, would you like to continue your training and have us come back later to tell them the date for the _funeral_?"

Kurenai looked shocked, ignoring his rudeness towards his elders. "WAIT A MINUTE! WHAT HAPPENED TO _WHO_?"

My heart stopped as I realized what Gaara was saying. "Karinami-chan?"

"Rowf?" Akamaru scratched at my hood incredulously.

"Hai, Kakashi just came and told us. He's making sure Roka-sensei knows." Kankuro looked grim.

Kurenai looked flustered. "Kiba, you and Akamaru may go."

"Thank you Kurenai-sensei!" I thanked her and turned to my cousins. "Can we go and see her?"

"Yeah, I think so," Temari answered. "And if we aren't, I'm gunna bust my way in whether they like it or not." I blinked—Tem-chan wasn't usually so violent. It had to be serious for her to get all gung-ho.

"See you tomorrow, I guess!" I yelled over my shoulder, following the Sand Siblings. As we headed towards the hospital, I threw another question onto the table. "Wait, so how the heck did Karinami get all bloodied up if Uchiha was there? Isn't he supposed to be the best or something? Heh, I knew he was a fake."

"Not really," Kankuro explained. "As is to our knowledge, the Akatsuki members that attacked Kari and Sasuke were very skilled. Kakashi even looked slightly aghast at the thought of them being the attackers. Apparently, they are very formidable. Plus, I don't quite think it helped the situation when one of them drew Sasuke off and knocked him out so that he couldn't do much."

I crowed. "Uchiha? Put in his place? Dang, I would've paid to see that."

"I agree," Gaara admitted, "but we can't exactly go off on him. He literally carried Karinami the whole way here so that she wouldn't die—or that's what Kakashi said. Maybe I heard wrong, though, he was talking pretty fast." The One-Tails' host snorted. "If he was in any way responsible for Kari getting hurt, I swear I'll beat the living—"

"Whoa, whoa, hold up." I skidded to a halt, and Akamaru growled. "Karinami—_our _persistent, stubborn, I-don't-need-your-help cousin—seriously let that stuck up brat carry her? You _have _to be kidding me. Maybe you guys don't remember, but I was _there_ when Roka tried to carry her and he _totally_ regretted it. She about blew up in his face. I think Kakashi got the story mixed up or something—that is _not_ the Kari-chan I know."

Ignoring Temari's protests that Uchiha was 'kind of cute', Gaara stopped and sighed. "Exactly. That's what made me finally realize that this wasn't some ill-conceived hoax. Kari-chan would never let anyone carry her unless she absolutely without a doubt _could not_ walk. If this were a joke, no one would've ever thought to make that a part of it because we'd never believe that she'd actually let that happen and then the whole joke would be a complete failure. There's no way that Kakashi-sensei or someone like that _baka_ Naruto would've made something like this up. So…if it's not make-believe, that means that our cousin _is _really in the hospital having a heck of a time staying alive."

I sighed. "Then we better get going." There were mumbles of agreement all around, and before long we were in front of the Konoha Hospital. Rushing in, we were stopped by one of the medical corps.

"Are you here to see your cousin Karinami?"

"Heck yes, so move it and I won't have to set Crow on you," Kankuro growled urgently.

"Aah, I'm afraid visitors aren't allowed in for another five minutes. You can wait outside her room with Roka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, and two of her teammates, huh? The room number she's in is 26."

Gaara nearly blew it. "Five minutes? Are you kidding?"

"No, unfortunately, but I wouldn't worry. Last I heard, she was going to pull through just fine with a couple days or weeks of rest."

Temari cut in. "Okay, okay, whatever; let's just go. We can wait five minutes, surely." She shot a glance at Gaara, who looked dangerously close to mincing the guy into tiny pieces with his sand.

Akamaru wined and pawed at my hood again, but didn't squirm.

Giving one last nasty glance at the apprentice who'd only been the bearer of bad news, Gaara stalked off to the right room and we all followed. Even _if_ none of us could read, it was blatant which room was Kari's—it was the one with Roka, Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto waiting outside. As soon as she saw us, Sakura jumped up anxiously.

"'''ve,like,killedherIstillcan''vethought—"

Kakashi stopped her mid run-on. "Sakura, calm down. Everything's going to be fine. Just sit down, please."

"If I had any sense, I'd have gone after that heartless zombie the minute I found out what'd happened," Gaara growled as Sakura plopped down onto the floor. "He's so dead if I ever get my hands on him…"

"Yeah, if I don't kill him first," Temari huffed.

"No one's killing anyone; at least not for now," Roka reasoned his face white and his voice shaky. "Besides, the Akatsuki shouldn't be treated like they are inexperienced or unorganized. One wrong move with them could spell out your doom." He managed a laugh. "And apparently, Kakuzu has 5 hearts or something. So…he's not such a heartless zombie if you think about it."

Before anyone could come up with a reply, an advanced Chunin from the medical corps stepped out of the room. He looked around. "Sorry for the wait. You can go and see her now, though I wouldn't quite expect her to talk much."

There was a slightly wild stampede as we all funneled into the chamber. Kari was curled up tightly in the bed—though a clipboard on the bedside table clearly stated that she was to sleep on her back as to not disturb her wounds—with a needle in her arm, most likely giving her some blood. As we entered, she opened her eyes a little.

"Hey…why the long faces, guys? I don't look that bad, do I?"

Roka let out a nervous laugh and literally ran over to her side. "You had us worried for awhile, I'd say, but no—I think you'll be fine."

Karinami grinned weakly and then groaned.

Instantly, Roka began the fatherly questionnaire. "What? What hurts? Is there something wrong?"

"Needles," she replied. "I hate needles. It was bad enough accidentally driving a senbon through my arm that one time…but needles? Do I have to keep it in?"

I laughed. "They're giving you some blood since you lost so much while you were travelling. Unless you think you're gunna be okay without it, heck yes you have to keep it in!" Akamaru barked in agreement and pounced onto the bed, curling up at Karinami's feet.

"Wait…do I have to explain what happened?" Her eyes looked sad.

"No, no, just rest for now," Kakashi reprimanded. "I sent Sasuke to fill Iruka in and then Iruka should be able to tell the Hokage after gathering a little more info on the men that attacked you."

Kari laughed. "Technically, I think we attacked first, but it wasn't to kill or anything…Sasuke just got all mad 'cause they were under the impression that we were just Genin brats…"

Naruto snorted. "Brats? Ha, they wish! If I'd been there, they'd have been sent home crying for their mommies—_Dattebayo_!"

My cousin laughed again, then winced at the pain. "I'm sure they would have, Naruto. That'd give them something to complain about." She looked around. "Thank you for coming; I know it's totally a pain to visit when someone's in the hospital." We all shrugged modestly, but exited as she said a last word of thanks and fell asleep again.

***Karinami's POV***

When I woke up, I figured that I'd—oh so rudely—fallen asleep while all my visitors were still here. Meh, stupid wounds. Turning over carefully as to not disturb my bothersome blood transfusion needle, I reached over to the window and pulled the curtain back a few inches. The sky was mostly dark except for a patch of glowing, dim light to the east. It had to be about 5 in the morning, then.

Letting the curtain fall back into its original position, I tried to convince myself that the ceiling pattern was very interesting as I memorized each tile. Small rays of light peeked through the cracks between the curtains as the minutes cycled by, and I began to hear the increased activity of the medical corps outside the door.

Just as I was about to die of boredom, a quiet knock jerked my mind from its stupor. "Uh, come in," I announced, feeling like an idiot.

To my surprise, a rested-looking Sasuke entered through the door instead of Roka or a doctor. My eyes widened. "Sasuke? Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be with Kakashi for training or something?"

He shot me a sarcastic look. "Are you serious? I carried you practically halfway across the dang country and I'm not allowed to make sure you aren't dead yet? Besides, Kakashi's in some bigwig meeting with the Hokage and some other ninja, so we're off the hook for now."

"Oh," my face turned about ten previously unknown shades of red. "My bad. And I—I guess I should thank you, since I'd kind of be dead and all…"

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Even if I hadn't have felt the need to help you, I would've—if I hadn't, it would've been my funeral. Between Gaara and the rest of your cousins, I would be _so_ dead for not at least trying to keep you alive."

My head hurt. Was he saying that he wanted to help me or that he helped me so that he wouldn't get his butt whipped? He was using way too many words for both this hour of the day and my painkiller-numbed brain.

"Okay, I'm lost," I admitted.

I nearly died of shock as he—was I imagining it?—half-smiled. "Forget it. I'm just rambling. I'm probably gunna get it from the doctors for disturbing your rest anyway, but I had to make sure that you were still among the living." As he finished, I could here a cry of _"Sa-su-keeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Where are you?"_ from outside my window.

Uchiha cringed. "Ugh, it's Sakura. I'd better blow this joint before she finds me and starts following me around." I just blinked at him. Since when did he care? And since when was he so talkative? Had he seriously taken that much of my rude, loud, hate-filled rant to heart? Maybe he wasn't such a jerk after all…I mean, he did kind of save my butt…

I snapped myself out of la-la land and faced him. "Uh, yeah, she can get kind of possessive sometimes."

"_Sasuke-kun, where are youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu?" _Came another call from outside, followed by Naruto's voice.

"Be quiet, Sakura, this is a hospital! People are trying to sleep!" I was surprised that he stood up to his crush like that, but also very thankful.

"Hn," Sasuke huffed, sounding like his normal grumpy self. "See you later, Karinami. And if Sakura comes in here and asks, you haven't seen me since yesterday, _tadashii_? She is so annoying!" I nodded, and he traipsed out the door, leaving behind one _very_ emotionally confused girl.

***Third-person perspective, in the Akatsuki's rendezvous point***

"Hey, Kakuzu, you're back!" Kisame laughed jokingly. "And Hidan! Why the heck were you guys gone so long? All you had to do was get some money."

"Eh, not exactly, fish boy," Hidan corrected.

Sasori jumped in as he heard the tone in Hidan's voice. "What, did you guys get the feeling you were being followed, too? Deidara and I heard some voices, so we took a long, confusing route back. We never saw who was tracking us, but I don't think they were very experienced."

"We saw 'em," Kakuzu's eyes shone wickedly. "Some little Genin- or Chunin-ranked brats from Konoha followed us, but we set a trap 'cause we heard one of the villager's at that town saying they were going to request help from the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

"Ah, yes, and Kakuzu went a little too far," Hidan shot a death glare at his partner. "The goal was to see who they were, not to nearly kill the little~"

"'Nearly kill them'?" Itachi questioned warily, cutting Hidan off before he could curse up a storm.

"Yeah," Hidan agreed. "The girl may be dead already, come to think of it."

Deidara blinked. "I'm confused, un."

Hidan went on as Kakuzu began cleaning some blood off of his weapons. "The night before we saw the Shinobi that were following us, we heard a lot of loud shouting; and the voice was a girl's. It seems that the little Uchiha and his teammate were on extremely bad terms with one another."

"Sasuke?" Itachi inquired, suddenly interested.

"Oh, yeah, he was one of the two *bleep* kiddies that was tracking us. He's actually quite fast, all things considered."

"Could you hear what they were saying?" Konan asked.

"No, but it sounded bad." He paused, and then continued to narrate. "The next morning, as expected, we ran into our trackers. One was Sasuke, like I said, and the other one was that new member of his team—you know, Itachi, that little girl whose parents you killed near the Village Hidden in the Mist? Karinami was her name, I think." Unseen by the other Akatsuki, Deidara paled. "Your d*** brother got all riled up when we called them little creampuffs or something, so I was forced to lead him off and knock him out—I nearly missed, he's so fast—but Kakuzu here," Hidan snarled at his partner, "decided to give the little girl something to remember him by."

Kakuzu crowed. "Eh, she wasn't that bad for a Genin, too. She was fast, faster than Sasuke, I'd wager, and maybe even faster than some higher-level Chunin and Jonin. She was also pretty smart in a fight, using her Funayureiinabikari like she did, but it was useless. There are some battles you just can't win, given the odds."

"What did you do to her, Kakuzu?" Sasori demanded. "You shouldn't have attacked in the first place, especially if you end up killing a soon-to-be formidable Shinobi that could be recruited."

"No, un." Deidara barked, still white in the face.

"What was that?" Zetsu looked at him oddly.

Deidara refused to answer, but Itachi let out an evil laugh. "Oh, I'd nearly forgotten—you're her cousin, aren't you? You definitely can't adopt her now. You're just worried that she's dead, eh?"

Deidara looked away uncomfortably. Kakuzu had gone too far. If Kari was dead, there'd be consequences—even if it meant activating the mouth on his shoulder. Even if it meant dying.

Hidan ignored the blonde-haired ninja and commenced with the story. "Anyway, so after Kakuzu and I met back up, we waited a little while to see what would happen. As soon as Sasuke woke up, he used marks he had made back to where we set the trap and found Karinami. They may've hated each other the night before, but when it comes to life and death they're obviously willing to put their differences aside. We followed him—carrying her—for a couple hours until she woke up. Sasuke knew that she would die without medical attention, but the little girl was smart enough to know that if we were following them, which we were, the nearest village wouldn't be safe whereas Konohagakure has a wall and Shinobi to keep us out. After that, it was simply pointless to track them so we returned to where we'd left the money and…well, brought it back here."

"Are you serious? Two still-learning Shinobi were seriously sent to fight two fully-fledged, experienced Akatsuki? Has the Hokage gone mad?" Konan scoffed.

"No, I'm assuming that their mission was just to follow the trail and see if they found anything. I don't think that the *bleep*es were expected to have to fight us."

Deidara still looked grim. "You say she was still alive when they neared the smaller village, un? That doesn't tell me much of her state considering the wounds she probably received. It's still a ways from there to Konoha, un."

Kakuzu, surprisingly, was the first to offer even the slightest consolation. "Don't worry about it, _osanai kodomo_, if your cousin can stay alive for that long with those wounds that I gave her, she'll last a little longer."

Deidara sighed and decided to step outside, ignoring the glances that the rest of the Akatsuki members were giving him. _I miss you, un,_ he thought. _I wish I could just ditch the Akatsuki, but I can't…how can you ever forgive me? I told you that, as soon as I was old enough, I would adopt you…Roka even agreed to it, but look at me now, un. Forced to steal and kill for everything that is not right because I wasn't strong enough to beat that stupid Sharingan…Kari-Shinseki …I am so sorry…how can you ever forgive me?_

**AN: Thank you to all those who have reviewed so far! Your comments are appreciated! I hope you've enjoyed what I have so far; I'll update soon. And, of course, comments are welcome! The end.**

_Mini dictionary:_

_Osanai kodomo: little child_

_Dattebayo: Believe it! (I forgot to put this in earlier. Sorry!)_


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters or settings. I can't quite remember who to give credit to, but the only thing that I made up is Karinami Iruzika and everything having to do with her, including Roka and her lineage. For some reason, I made it so that the characters are 15-16 years old but…they're still Genin. NO they aren't dumb. I just made it that way—Dattebayo! Also, some of the people may be a little out of character. I am not an **_**expert**_** on Naruto. The end.**

***Karinami's POV***

My day couldn't have been worse. After Sasuke left, the doctors asked me a bazillion and one questions over breakfast-time (I felt too bad to eat still) about the weapons that gave me my wounds, but I could hardly answer them. I didn't see much of what stabbed me. Later in the morning, my IV was finally taken out but it took about five minutes and it hurt like heck. Needles are definitely not my thing.

By the time lunch rolled around my blood transfusion IV _was_ out, but I still felt sick to my stomach from the feeling of it being taken out of my vein and the remnant of my pain medication was driving me crazy so I had to decline the food. Apparently, most of the bored Chunin and Genin ninja whose senseis were at the meeting had decided to get together and train or…I don't know…do something enjoyable, so I was stuck here to talk to the wall with no visitors for the moment. How fun.

Even the night was horrible. I hadn't eaten all day because I felt like crap which makes 48 to 72 hours of me consuming nothing, so my stomach rumbled in the dark. Also, a woman in the room next to me with an illness woke up four times in the night screaming bloody murder from some hallucination until a doctor could give her something that made her fall back asleep again. If my room had been properly insulated like all the others, I wouldn't have minded because I wouldn't have heard.

Even worse, at about 2 a.m., I started feeling achy and weak from hunger and my stupid wounds. It took every ounce of self control I possessed not to march straight out of town, find Kakuzu, and give him a piece of my mind for all this crap he'd caused.

_No way, you baka, he'd just kill you or something,_ I tried to convince myself. _Just think…uh…happy thoughts or something (oh man if it's not almost five o'clock I'm gunna die). Just think happy thoughts—oh that's right, I don't have that many. Still—_

I tried to think of anything even remotely happy that I'd come across and surprised the heck out of myself when the first thing that came to mind was—holy crap! For a split second, I couldn't feel anything. I couldn't feel my gnawing hunger or my wounds; I couldn't hear the woman screaming next door. I blinked in disbelief at my own girly-ness. What the heck was _Sasuke _doing in my mind? I blinked again. That—that _is_ Sasuke…right? Yeah…okay…so why the heck did I think of _him_? My mouth nearly hit the floor.

_Oh my goodness golly gracious __**somebody**__ kill me, I think I'm becoming a ditzy fan girl!_ I almost screamed. _Okay, okay…just…uh…think of something else! Anything else! _No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to scrub Sasuke's image from my mind so, in blind desperation, I tried to remember exactly what the fight with Kakuzu had been like—oh, crud, bad idea.

I could almost feel his knife-like weapons ripping into my stomach again; hear myself shriek as I fell helpless to the ground…I could hear his footsteps and his haunting laugh as he taunted me—

I jerked myself from the memories, but my wounds were aching and I felt sick all over again. I sighed. Well, it was better than baka Sasuke…or was it? Crap. _Oh, crap. _

***Third-person perspective, 3 a.m., somewhere in Konohagakure***

Kakashi sighed. _That had to have been the longest meeting in history,_ he thought, _but at least it was worth it._

"Hey, Kakashi, why are you up so late? Or should I say early?" Team Seven's sensei turned as Might Guy and his team trekked up the small hill, obviously worn out from their mission.

"Oh, Guy, you missed the meeting," he answered.

"Meeting?"

"Yeah, about the Akatsuki."

"AH! I can't believe that I was gone! Think you could fill me in later?"

"Sure."

Guy stopped to chat, and Tenten started picking at the grass tiredly. "So why was a meeting called?"

"There was an attack."

"WHAT?" All four heads zipped up at the news, eyes wide—especially on Rock Lee's part. "What happened?"

"You know how my team was going to get some information on those robberies, right?" Kakashi affirmed calmly.

"Yeah."

"Well, Sakura and Naruto reported just fine but Sasuke and Karinami ran into two Akatsuki members at the end of the path."

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"Unfortunately, no. One of the men led Sasuke off and knocked him out, but the other—who seemed more…bloodthirsty, shall we say—decided to fight Kari. She didn't stand a chance."

"WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?" Tenten screamed. She was close friends with the girl in question. "IS SHE OKAY?"

"She's in the hospital right now," Kakashi replied. "With any luck, she'll be able to get around soon enough."

"Is she going to be alright, then?" Lee fretted. Kari was an easy person to be friends with as long as you didn't start flirting—which was no problem, since he liked Sakura—so pretty much everyone in Konoha, including Lee, happened to care if she was badly injured.

"The doctors think so. You can all visit in the morning."

"How's Roka taking it?" Guy inquired.

"Well, we were all so worried. That tends to happen when usually calm Sasuke walks up half-carrying his teammate with a concerned expression on his face. I'm so proud of both of them. Kari didn't give up, even given the odds, and according to Sasuke she even tried to walk back to Konohagakure on her own! And Uchiha? He didn't sleep for two or three days _and_ carried Karinami from where the path ended all the way back to Konoha. If _that_ doesn't at LEAST help them get along better, I don't know what will! Still…Roka's visiting her right now…hopefully she'll be getting some rest. It is three in the morning, after all."

"Not to change the subject, but how'd Sakura and Naruto do with the whole 'working together' thing? You said a while ago that part of the goal of the mission was to get the team on better terms with one another, since Karinami didn't get along with Sasuke and Sakura didn't get along with Naruto; so did they at least accomplish that much?" Guy chuckled.

"Aah," Kakashi rolled his visible eye. "Those two are such a pain sometimes. I guess they technically _tolerated_ one another, but they didn't exactly pass with flying colors if you get my point."

"Ha! Well, at least they didn't argue the whole way."

"My thoughts exactly."

"Well," Guy concluded, "it is _rather_ late and you all should probably be in bed." He looked pointedly at Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten.

"Yeah, I'm bushed," Tenten agreed, yawning. "See you guys tomorrow, 'k?"

Neji nodded, but Rock Lee shouted enthusiastically. "See ya', Tenten!"

Waving their good-byes, they all parted ways.

***Sasuke's POV***

I woke up breathing hard and in a cold sweat. Looking around, I recognized my own room. "D***," I hissed to myself, "just a nightmare."

Sure it was a dream, but it felt so real. I could see myself following a trail of blood through the woods, screaming Karinami's name as my head throbbed. The blood pounded through me as I heaved a huge lungful of air as the trail began to look fresher. I could hear the crows croaking at me from the trees; I could see myself stop dead as I found Kari, her body cold and red liquid still pouring from her stomach…but this time she wasn't just hurt. This time, she was as dead and stiff from Kakuzu's hand, her ice blue eyes lifeless and unblinking—

"Stop it!" I growled at myself, throwing a nearby kunai at a training dummy. It hit it right in the stomach, right where Kakuzu had—

"_**STOP IT!**_" I threw myself down on my bed, cursing, and hoped that no one had heard my outburst. What a fun explanation _that_ would be.

_You know, when you dream about someone, it means they're thinking about you, _my stupid internal voice chimed in.

"Oh, shut up," I snarled quietly, and pulled my pillow over my head.

_But,_ my evil little conscience went on, _now that you're thinking about her she might start dreaming of __you__ and that can't be __**too**__ bad, can it?_

"Heck yes it can," I mumbled into my palate. Crud, now I was talking to myself. Rolling over and drop-kicking my pillow across the room, I stared at the ceiling until my head hurt. I looked at my clock. 4: 38 a.m., and I was wide awake. Crap.

"Well," I muttered to myself, "might as well make use of the time I'm up." Dragging myself out of bed, I managed to get dressed without too much noise. _I'll just go and practice my taijutsu or something…_

As I stepped outside, I could hear Naruto snoring in a room down the hall and Lee was talking in his sleep—he must've gotten back sometime during the night. I was just about to the outskirts of the city when a movement caught my eye. Using peripheral vision, I saw that—oh, what the heck—?

I quietly pounced on top of a flat-roofed building and looked up. "Kari?"

The figure on top of the hospital jumped in surprise. "Sasuke? Holy crap you scared me! What are you doing up?"

"What are _you _doing out of your room? The doctors will kill you!"

"Ah, let 'em." She grouched. "If I stay in that room any longer, I'm going to go completely insane."

Warily, I made my way over to her. Sure enough, it was Karinami. She saw me looking at her oddly and asked, "What?"

I shrugged. "I'm not used to you wearing your symbol plate around your neck; it's weird." I immediately regretted saying what I did, but she didn't seem to care.

"Well, I can't wear it over all these dang bandages now can I?" She glanced at me sideways. "Now seriously, why are you up? It's not even five."

"I couldn't sleep," I half-lied. "You?"

"I couldn't sleep either. I pretended to be asleep when Roka came—he would've had a cow if he knew I was awake. Still, the woman in the next room was screaming like a wounded wolf." I felt like there was something that she wasn't mentioning, but I didn't press the matter.

I considered the small trapdoor that led back into the hospital. "The medical corps will be screaming like wolves as well if you don't go and rest or something."

Kari stuck her tongue out at me childishly but it was actually kind of cute. "You too? Everybody just wants me to _relax_ and _rest_! It's driving me up a wall!" She groaned and flopped down on her back, looking at the already-fading stars. "I hate being wounded."

I nearly argued with her, but instead got a wicked idea. "No joke, Karinami, if you don't go and get back in bed I will carry you there myself, _tadashii_?"

"_**Heck no!**_" She shrieked, sitting up. "Oh crap, ow, that hurts," she added unhappily.

"Want me to tell Roka?" I went on, enjoying myself thoroughly.

"Tell him and I will _kill you_, Sasuke," she threatened.

"Then _GO_."

"Okay, okay, I'm going!" She huffed, standing up.

I watched her leave, and then looked at the sky. _Still time for taijutsu, _I sighed, standing up and heading towards the city limits. As I was walking, a revelation hit me. _Okay, since when have I had a civil conversation like that with someone without being forced to?_ My feet automatically stopped walking. Considering my social life, it was a very good question—and I didn't have an answer. _Hn._

**AN: Again, thanks to everybody that reviewed so far! Questions and comments can be directed to the little review button down below, so don't hesitate to type in a response! The end.**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters or settings. I can't quite remember who to give credit to, but the only thing that I made up is Karinami Iruzika and everything having to do with her, including Roka and her lineage. For some reason, I made it so that the characters are 15-16 years old but…they're still Genin. NO they aren't dumb. I just made it that way—Dattebayo! Also, some of the people may be a little out of character. I am not an **_**expert**_** on Naruto. The end.**

***Karinami's POV***

By the time 8 a.m. came along, I'd thoroughly memorized every pattern on every ceiling tile in the hospital room. The word '_bored_' doesn't even begin to cover my emotions—or lack thereof—while I was there. I was _so _ready to get out of there and do something, no matter how much it hurt to move. I'd rather be listening to one of Roka's sensei-y rants about chakra for the ten billionth time.

I was finally able to down breakfast today, thankfully, which made the doctor ecstatic. At about 10:30 in the morning, a Chunin medical corps assistant came in and asked me if I would be able to stand a visitor or two. I nearly died.

"Able to stand? Heck yeah! I'm bored out of my mind!"

The assistant chuckled and mumbled something about youthful energy, then disappeared for a couple of minutes. He reappeared with Lee, Tenten, and Neji, all who had apparently arrived back sometime early this morning. All had darkish circles under their eyes but were otherwise unharmed.

"Hey! Kari! Heard you got pretty banged up on your mission, eh?" Tenten chuckled. "I mean come on, why do you get to have all the fun? We didn't even come across so much as an angry bear, and you get to battle it out with the Akatsuki!"

I laughed painfully. "Oh, yeah, it was loads of fun. Especially the part where Uchiha had to carry me half way across _Hi no Kuni_. Trust me—you guys didn't miss out on anything."

Lee grinned. "Good thing you're not too bad, right? Then I couldn't whip you in taijutsu anymore! Who'd I practice with? Naruto's not near as good—Believe it!"

We all laughed at that one, even Neji. "So you guys had a good time?" I affirmed, and they nodded.

"Still," Neji sounded deadly serious—surprise, surprise, surprise—as he spoke, "you should be more careful. Not just anyone can say they've lived through an Akatsuki attack."

"That's the truth, and no wonder," I groaned. "Whatever Kakuzu used to slice me up hurt like crap. Like, I was ready to go and die, or throw up, or maybe both. Well, not at the same time and certainly not in that order, but you get my drift."

Lee grimaced. "Eew. That's a nice mental picture."

"Oh, shut up, Lee," I rolled my eyes. "Seriously, though, just give me a day or two and I'll be back on the training field."

"That's funny; the medical corps assistant told us that you wouldn't be out of here for a week or so." Tenten grinned teasingly.

I shot her a look. "I'm about ready to crawl up the walls I'm so bored already; I can NOT stay here for another week. I can't just be holed up like somebody's pet! I, like, _have_ to be doing something that involves training or some sort of Shinobi mission or I go stir-crazy—you know that!"

"True," Neji admitted. "But would you seriously bust your way out of here just because you were bored? Don't you want to have a chance to heal rather than to train with an unhealed wound?" He, unwittingly, smiled. "But really, it's not like it matters, whatever happens is your _destiny_."

We all laughed, knowing that he'd ditched his _destiny_ obsession long ago. "I'm not even joking," I smirked, "I'm outta here as soon as possible, 'k?"

"Oh, so I should just tell the corps to increase the security—?" Lee asked.

"HEY!" I protested. "Mum's the word, here! If they figure out I'm gone, I'll be forced to stay here for even _LONGER_!"

Tenten sighed. "Oh, fine, I won't tell. C'mon, guys, let's go; she needs her, uh, rest and stuff."

"Uh-huh," Neji agreed sarcastically but left the room, as did Lee and, rather reluctantly, Tenten.

"Oh, yeah, just leave me alone so that I can be bored until I die," I sighed, then grinned and began thinking up how I could get out before I lost my ever-loving mind.

***Third-person perspective, at an Akatsuki base***

Konan walked up the small huddle of Akatsuki members, a set look on her face. "Hey—look alive; we have our orders from Nagato—Pein—here. Besides, if you look _too _dead, Zetsu might eat you." The half-Venus-fly-trap in question grinned evilly.

Sasori looked up. "Well?"

"Hidan and Kakuzu, you are to head to the Land of Wind; you'll meet up with two other ninja who will tell you more about your task. Itachi and Kisame, you need to go check out the base up north and make sure that none of the Konohagakure kiddies got smart and sent some Jonin to investigate. Sasori, I need you and Deidara to go and re-check around Konoha, you need to report anything that seems suspicious. Don't engage anyone in unneeded battle; it was bad enough having Kakuzu fight that one girl—her and Sasuke may know too much already from what they saw. Let's just hope that they hadn't somehow figured out Hidan's ritual—I'm not so sure that any of the Great Shinobi Nations know about that yet; it may give us an edge in certain situations."

Deidara looked downcast. "Sasori-senpai, do we have to do the recon in _Hi no Kuni_? Couldn't we, like, switch with Itachi and Kisame or something, un?"

Sasori glanced at him sternly. "Don't let your love for your former cousin to get in your way, _baka_, we'll do what's assigned to us."

"Former cousin, un? I'm still related; we are family by blood," Deidara murmured dejectedly.

"The Akatsuki is your family, and no one else," the puppeteer corrected harshly. "Now let's go. I don't want it to be winter before we get back; hurry it up!"

"Fine, un, I'm coming," he replied testily, and followed Sasori out of the base.

***Karinami's POV***

When I finally felt well enough to run around a bit, I busted out of the hospital. No surprise there. I'd done it more than once back at the small office in Umi no Kyuuden—with the help of Gaara, Kiba, Akamaru, and Kankuro, of course. Temari, on the other hand, was the one always trying to get me back _in_ the hospital. Still, this time, I'd managed to flee all on my own. I was even free from the medical corps, Gaara having threatened them that if they found me and hauled me back to the hospital he would kill them and make it rain blood and all that junk. Needless to say, it worked.

Kakashi-sensei, though reluctant to continue training with my still-partly-unhealed wounds, commenced our daily exercises. Often, the four of us trained one verses one, kind of like the Chunin exams or something. Other times, we'd just go on super easy missions, leaving everybody bored out of their minds.

In the weeks that followed—as I got better—I only noticed one large change, which was the relationship between Sasuke and me. Within the month, we went from mortal enemies to fairly close friends, much to Sakura and Ino's dismay. For me, it was just kind of confusing. Had my little soap box rant really changed his behavior? At least around me, he didn't act like such a jerk anymore and he was actually pretty nice. Of course, his growing friendliness did have its bad side, as he was constantly doing his annoying eye-smolder thing when I refused to get some rest so my wounds would heal. I mean, sure, I'm as stubborn as an Irish mule, but Sasuke is _soooooo_ persistent. Can you say, "annoying"?

"Sakura-chan, are we still on for training this afternoon?" I asked politely as we were eating lunch on a particularly rainy day.

"Oh, uh, no," she stammered, suddenly looking nervous. "It's—well, you know…it's raining and, uh, my hair…it just kind of…" she made a '_poof_' motion with her hands to indicate that humidity made her pink locks go all frizzy. Preppy much?

"Okay, then," I sighed, feeling that there was more to her decline than whacked-out hair. "I guess I'll just go and practice taijutsu with Lee; he said he was going to do some serious training today or something."

"'Kaythanksbye," Sakura gushed in one long indecipherable string of words, half-skipping out of the room.

"Somebody's happy," Naruto remarked. "What the heck happened to her?"

"Dunno," I admitted, and then looked at the clock. "But I do know that I'm gunna be late for training with Lee-senpai if I don't move my butt, so I'll see you guys later, 'kay?"

"Sure, Kari-chan," the hyperactive blonde plastered a cheesy smile on his face.

"Hn," Sasuke droned, which was the approximate equivalent of, "Okay, I'll see you later."

"Oh, Kari," Kakashi cut in suddenly. "Don't come by for training tomorrow; everyone is supposed to have a day off for spring cleaning. I forgot to tell you guys earlier…make sure to tell Sakura if you see her, okay?"

"Of course, Kakashi-sensei," I grinned. A whole day off for spring cleaning? Dang. It would take me, like, five minutes to clean my whole living space, minus the time it would take to persuade Kiba into cleaning up _his_ room and the period that it would take to shove all of Akamaru's forgotten dog toys out of my bedroom. Waving good-bye, I ran out swiftly and headed towards the normal training spot.

"Hey, Lee!" I hollered, jogging to catch up with him.

"Yo, Kari-chan!" He turned and called back, stopping where he was. "Why're you here?"

"Can I train with you? Sakura totally bailed on me 'cause of the weather or something lame like that."

"Yeah, totally!" He grinned. "Don't blame me if you get _reeeeeeeally_ tired, though, today's training will be especially hard!"

"I'm a tough cookie," I insisted. "I'm the one who runs into the demonic Akatsuki jerks, remember?"

"Of course," came the amused reply.

"Let's go, then!

"First one to the large rock gets to go last!" He challenged, and we shot off into the soggy forest.

***later***

"Uhhhhnnnnnn, I'm tired," I complained to Lee as we tottered back into the city.

"Me too," he agreed. "I'm gunna have bruises for weeks."

"Well, you two look like death," came a sarcastic voice from the shadows. Definitely Sasuke.

"Yeah, the Grim Reaper says _hi_," I mumbled. "He wants to know when you're going to get a move on and kill Itachi."

Uchiha snorted loudly and emerged from the shade of a large home. "Tell him that I'm working on it."

"Oh, there's Guy-sensei," Lee pointed over to another street. "See ya later Karinami-chan."

"Later, man," I acknowledged as he doggedly wobbled over to his sensei.

"Shall we?" Sasuke asked, making a motion towards the buildings where we made our homes.

"Sure," I shrugged and started walking. There was a long pause where only the birds could be heard, but Sasuke broke it after awhile.

"I know why Sakura-chan ditched today," he confessed.

"Oh?" I made my voice sound pseudo-surprised. "It wasn't her hair?"

Sasuke smirked. "Uh, _no_. Definitely not."

I looked at him, expectant. "…And so…" I prompted.

"She asked me out."

"Uh, yeah, she's done that more than once."

"No, like, get-all-dressed-up-and-come-to-the-door-bearing-flowers kind of asking me out. It was _really_ awkward, especially after I turned her down."

I grimaced. "So she cut training because she wanted to look all schmancy?"

"I assume so," Sasuke admitted. "She was seriously thinking I would say yes."

"Aah. Well, at any rate, did you tell her about the off day tomorrow?"

"Mm-hmm. I think she was pleased about that at least; a whole day to mope around and feel sorry for herself, since I'd imagine her room is immaculate…"

I laughed shortly, despite feeling slightly sorry for Sakura. "Totally."

We stopped at the my dorm for a minute, standing in total silence, until Tenten looked out of her window from a story or two above us and shouted down, "Hey, Kari-chan! Are you going to sit there until summer or are you going to get your butt up here and tell me how training went?"

"I'm coming, Tenten," I laughed, and waved good-bye to Sasuke before entering the building.

***later***

_Oh yeah, free day,_ I sang mentally as the sun rose the next morning. _Nothing to do, nobody to see…and a conscience that's telling me to train. Ugh._

Kicking the wall that Kiba and I shared violently, I shouted, "Get up, Kiba-shinseki, you have to get all of Akamaru's dog toys out of here before I blow a gasket!"

"_UHNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN_," he replied tiredly, falling out of bed like normal. Akamaru yipped and started running into the door with loud thuds, clearly needing to take care of some business _al fresco_.

Sweeping open the curtains in an insanely blissful mood I quickly got ready for the day, threw open the windows, and started cleaning.

I was done in about ten minutes, dog toys included.

"Well, now what do I do?" I mused, thumping onto my bed. The options scrolled through my head like movie credits.

_Take a walk_

_Train_

_Visit Sakura and get her out of her world-will-end mood._

_Risk life and limb helping Naruto with his room_

_Annoy Sasuke._

Oh yeah, we have a winner. I mean, sure, Naruto probably needed help (if he was even out of bed), but _annoying Sasuke_? Teasing or not, that was practically the best thing since sliced bread. There's nothing more fun than bugging the crap out of him, knowing that you're faster and can run away if need be. Ah, good times.

Jumping off my bed, I headed outdoors and started walking to the dorm building next door. All around me, Konoha citizens were beating rugs, sweeping like mad, and generally washing everything in sight. The city was practically suboceanic there was so much water.

Getting to Sasuke's room didn't take long. "Sa-su-ke," I called, purposely drawing his name out into syllables like Sakura did. "Are you there?"

"No dip," came the monotone reply, followed by the click of the door opening. "Why the heck are you here? Aren't you supposed to be cleaning?"

"I'm done," I bragged. "Just thought I'd come and annoy you for awhile."

He scowled, but let me in.

His room was generally devoid of messy piles, I guess, but there was still a rather large mound of junk in the corner. He started going through it, searching for something. Perched on the only chair in the room, I struck up a conversation, occasionally presenting a witty statement that racked up my aggravation points big time with the Uchiha the Emo Brick. After that, there was a long pause and then—

"Sasuke-kun," I complained, not trying to annoy him but gravely bothered by something. He glanced at me sideways. "The sizes of those dust bunnies under your dresser are seriously starting to scare me."

Sasuke scowled at me. "Oh, so you can face an S-ranked super-dangerous Akatsuki ninja with no fear but _dust bunnies_…I mean, jeezums, they're _soooooo_ scary…"

I stuck my tongue out at him as he rolled his eyes. "Hey, just because you're too much of an airhead to figure out how to use a vacuum cleaner," I accused. That shut him up in a moody silence until he straightened up from the pile of stuff, a genuinely confused look on his face.

"What he heck is this…?" Uchiha asked.

"What the heck is what?" I pulled myself out of my thoughts from curiosity.

"This necklace thingie," he specified lamely, walking over. "I think it used to be my mom's; she said that she got it from a good friend of hers—"

"Hey!" I exclaimed, snatching the necklace from his hands and examining the pendant closer. "This is the symbol for Umi no Kyuuden! See, four different color petals forming a flower for The Crown upheld on a platter of water. The Crown is the giant tree that sits high above the city on a cliff—it's actually a bunch of trees twisted together. The different color flower petals on the symbol represent the different blossoms that grow on each tree, and the platter of water is for…well…the ocean." I looked up at my teammate. "Where did you say your mother got this…?"

"A friend," he repeated, sounding surprised. "Why?"

I outlined the engraved petals with my finger. "I've seen my mother wear it in very old pictures—like, when she was still in school. I asked her what she did with it right before she died…she said she gave it away."

"It's yours, then," Sasuke shrugged and went back to the pile. "It was your mothers ultimately, so…"

"Technically, _your _mother had it," I insisted. "Wouldn't she have wanted you to keep it?"

"Heck no," Sasuke smirked. "Can you see me wearing a girl's necklace around everywhere? My mom would definitely not have shoved that on me."

"Naruto wears Tsunade's old necklace," I uttered, but put the jewelry around my neck with my Shiraseru-Omamori.

Just then, there came a crash from somewhere in the building, followed by an _aarrrgg!_ of annoyance.

"Uh…what was that?" I questioned, a little nervous.

Sasuke just sneered. "Naruto, I think. He must've dropped something."

"Yeah, a very _large_ 'something'," I corrected. "If he put that down, hard, on his foot, I bet it would've broken."

Uchiha shrugged and went back to his work. After awhile, he began arranging things oddly on his bed as if he were cataloging his belongings, once in a while stopping to throw something away. I nearly asked what he was doing when he emptied his closet, folding everything on his cot as well, but then justified that he was going to rearrange everything.

"Well, this is utterly boring," I chirped optimistically as the sun was setting. "I'm going to go be productive and take a walk."

"Suit yourself," Sasuke grunted, going back to his cataloging exercise which had shrunk his belongings into a small area. The trash bin was ready to burst as I walked out and, as a last disturbance; I kicked it open so that a few scraps of paper flew out. Who says that annoying people isn't fun?

***outside***

I was well into the forest beyond Konohagakure before I heard the noise. It was soft and muted, as if someone were trying to conceal their presence, but it was audible nonetheless.

"Uh, is anybody there?" I asked, feeling like a sheer moron.

"Yes, actually, un," came a voice that I knew all too well, and a figure jumped out from behind a tree. I took me a minute to contemplate the newcomer and then—

"_DEIDARA-SHINSEKI!_" I squealed in disbelief, recklessly glomping him. For a moment, we both just flopped on the ground, stunned, and then he burst out laughing.

"Kari-chan, you're not even bleeding! Sheesh, Kakuzu and Hidan made it sound like you were ripped to shreds, un!"

I sat up, snorting crossly. "I _was_, no thanks to those jerks. Dude, the stupid medical Shinobi stuck me like a pincushion with IV needles! It was terrible!"

Deidara scowled. "I was so mad when I heard, but even more worried. There was talk about making you join the Akatsuki when you were older and more experienced, and Itachi was doing all he could to annoy me by bringing it up."

"Me? In the _Akatsuki_?" I blinked. "Yeah, right."

"That's my girl, un," Deidara laughed, poking me in the forehead.

"Why are you here?" I asked guardedly.

"Info. We—well, _they_—wanted to make sure that nobody got too smart about things and had a lead on us. Sasori-senpai will _kill_ me if he finds me talking to you, not to mention the rest of the organization…" he sighed and looked at me morosely. "I had to make sure you were okay, un, you had me worried."

"_You're_ okay, though, right? I affirmed, throwing the last question on to the table.

"Yes, technically," he nodded, showing me his hands in proof that he didn't have his fingers crossed. I laughed as his hand-mouths stuck out their tongues out.

"Dude," I giggled, feeling like I was 10 years old again. "Can you even eat with those things?"

Deidara made a face. "You don't wanna know, un." Suddenly, he sat up straight, eyes wide. "I have to go."

"Huh?"

"Sasori-senpai. He'll maul me if I stay here and he finds out. Seriously, I have to get out of here."

"Oh," I lamented, wishing that he could stay. It had been too long…

He caught the sad note in my voice. "I'll try to come back, un. To say 'hi'. Just don't—don't get yourself killed, you hear me?" I nodded once. "Tell Roka…" he paused. "Tell him that I said 'hello' as well." I nodded again and, with another glance at the trees behind him, my cousin was gone again.

***later***

By the time I neared my dorm, the city was dark. _Just one more thing to do before bed,_ I reasoned. I had to ask Sasuke if he wanted to train tomorrow, since Sakura would no doubt be moping and the Sand Siblings—usually my go-to antagonists—were going to be out for the day.

Thankfully, when I reached his room, I could tell the light was still on. "Sasuke-kun?" I asked, knocking on the door. I heard a rustling from inside, but no reply. Frowning, I started again. "Sasuke? Sasuke, are you in there?" Still no retort. I was starting to get peeved—was this punishment for annoying the heck out of him earlier?

"Sasuke, seriously, this is NOT funny," I huffed. "Can I come in?" I tried the doorknob. Locked. My brain whirled. He would've told me to wait if he was getting dressed or something. "SA-SU-KE," I repeated. "What are you doing?" More generally shuffling sounds, but nothing else. "You asked for this," I snarled quietly at the silence, and broke down the door with a well-aimed kick.

My heart practically died at what I saw.

The items that had been laid out on his bed earlier were nowhere in sight. All the drawers were empty. Nothing that belonged to him was lying around. Everything was packed, with him standing listlessly in the center of his room, staring at me.

He was planning on leaving.

And by the looks of things, he was never coming back.

**AN: So, is the story still interesting? Are you bored out of your minds? Comments and questions would be great! The next chapter is going to wrap it up, so be prepared! Thanks again for reading! The end.**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters or settings. I can't quite remember who to give credit to, but the only thing that I made up is Karinami Iruzika and everything having to do with her, including Roka and her lineage. For some reason, I made it so that the characters are 15-16 years old but…they're still Genin. NO they aren't dumb. I just made it that way—Dattebayo! Also, some of the people may be a little out of character. I am not an **_**expert**_** on Naruto. The end.**

My breath caught in my throat, but I choked out a hoarse but whispered scream. "_WHAT ARE YOU DOING?_"

Sasuke just stood there, gaping, seemingly surprised that I'd actually busted in.

Trembling all over, I forced out a different question in the vain hope that he would answer. "Where are you going?"

"Away," he said in a voice that was just that—far, far away sounding, as if he was hypnotized.

"Away WHERE?" I shrieked, my voice nearing a pitch that could practically break glass. He just looked at me robotically, not answering, still somewhere in the confines of his mind.

"Sasuke _where are you going_?"

He finally seemed to snap out of his dazed state. "You don't need to know."

"What if someone needs to find you?"

Uchiha glanced at me with stunning intensity, mouthing my greatest fear. "I'm not coming back anyway. If they need me, too bad."

"Where are you going?" I asked again, hopefully for the last time. Of course, he didn't answer, but—a revelation hit me. "Oh, _no_," I breathed. His curse mark. Orochimaru had said that Sasuke would, without fail, come to him looking for power…

"Sasuke, you aren't—"

He smirked, cutting me off. "Who are you to tell me where I can and cannot go?"

I trembled even harder. This was _not _happening. "You can't go, Sasuke, Orochimaru is tricking you! You won't be able to defeat Itachi by killing people and committing murderous deeds like that snake! …You'll end up just like your brother!"

"I am an Avenger. I've said it before. I will do whatever it takes to take Itachi down."

I was close to tears now. "You're _crazy_! You would just _abandon_ us? Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura…what about _me_, baka, don't you care what _we _feel? So what? You need some more training! That doesn't mean that you have to run off and join the freaking butt-bow crowd!"

His mouth twitched, but I couldn't tell if it was to smile or to frown. "'Butt-bow crowd'?" He remarked. "I've never heard that one before."

"Sasuke," I begged, "don't do this. I…I don't want you to go." I sniffled, realizing that I had come to care for him more than I'd like to admit.

He looked surprised at my confession, and then composed himself with difficulty. "I have to," he stated plainly.

I couldn't believe it. Was he so blind as to not see that people actually _cared_ about him even if they chose to not show it every single second of their lives? Feeling hot, angry, salty tears roll down my cheeks, I put on a noble face and decided to face the facts with bravery and cold-heartedness that I didn't have.

"Fine then," I seethed, making my voice as steady as I could. "Just leave. We don't give a d*** what you do with your life so go on, be a jerk and betray everyone that has ever even considered you an acquaintance. I mean, it's your life to live, right? Go live it. Kill some people. Grow strong. Turn into a maniacal freak show just like Orochimaru and one day," I held up a finger, cursing silently that it was shaking with rage and hurt, "maybe I'll be the one to beat the holy crap out of you and watch you as you _die_. Maybe _then_ you'll realize that power doesn't make a ninja a winner. Power makes a ninja a conceited, self-absorbed, killing machine that knows nothing of friendship." I backed outwards, towards the hall. "Sasuke…"

He raised an eyebrow and muttered something weakly that sounded like, "Yes?"

My eyes turned dead black, and more drops of saltwater flowed down my face. "_**GO AND DIE!**_" I screamed, unable to hold back my sorrow, and fled back to my own room, collapsing in a heap of tears.

***Sasuke's POV***

I was stunned. Had she really just…told me to die? Was I really that…

A part of my brain shut down the thought and forced me to mechanically pick up my pack and start to walk out of my room and down the hallway. As soon as I got outside and managed to walk a little ways away from the dorms, I was ready to get away, to be free, but…something stopped me. An invisible string of regret held me where I stood, steadfast against the urges to flee the city.

I sighed, and looked up at the window that was Kari's. Somewhere in my heart, I knew I couldn't leave. That was why…that was why I had tried so hard to get out before she could find me. Because if she told me not to…I could never leave. I just couldn't.

_Come on, here's your chance!_ The devilish, power-hungry side of me hissed. _Get out of here, before someone else finds you!_ I took one step towards the gates, and another pang of remorse hit me head on.

_Don't go,_ my inner angelic figure pleaded. _Kari is so hurt! Did you see her? She cares about you, Sasuke, go back…go back…_

Cussing violently, I rubbed my temples. The internal battle was giving me a migraine, and I was getting nowhere.

_On one hand, you'll be able to defeat Itachi,_ my neutral voice said, _but on the other, you'll have people that care for you. The choice that could change lives right here in your hands. So, what'll it be? Revenge? Friendship?_

"Couldn't you offer some tips and be helpful for once?" I hissed, cursing the situation.

_I'd like to watch this one play out, _the Voice mused. No surprise there. Gritting my teeth, I took another emotionless step towards freedom.

_Get out of here! _The fiendish conscience barked at me.

_Stay,_ the peaceful side moaned, sounding as if it were about to cry.

Another step. A few more and I could duck into the darkness of an alley. Leave? Wait? My mind raged in an internal battle, locking forces in a painful clash of anger and remorse.

I took a step back towards the buildings I had just left. Yes? No? Another step back. There was no way. I couldn't leave. I couldn't—

_She'll never forgive you, _my mind cackled. _There's no sense in going back—_

"_**DAMATTE!**_" I roared, squashing the voice. Clenching my jaw, I turned around. I began to walk back. _Forgiveness from Kari or no, _I rationed, _no human that has an ounce of sanity left in their ever-loving mind could do this to those who care. _That left me thinking that Itachi was demented. But I could deal with that.

As I neared my teammate's room, I found myself wishing that there were a hundred more flights of stairs between me and her. She had to be so ticked. Well, might as well get the black eye over with… I took a deep breath, looked at the ceiling, and nudged the door ajar.

Karinami was huddled on the bed, not facing me, looking out the window like it held the answers to everything. The only sign that she was alive was her ragged sobbing gasps of air that made her whole body quiver. Aah. This was not good. It took a lot to make her cry, and she was practically bawling.

I paused in the doorway, hesitant, but finally shook away my hesitation and stepped up to the palate. "Kari?" I asked, trying to sound concerned—which I was.

Her whole body went rigid, like when you stick a cat into a bathtub full of soapy water, but she didn't answer.

"…Gomen nasai," I looked down at my shoes, ashamed. There was still no reply; Kari just buried her face into her knees. Taking a breath, I went on.

"I know that…this may sound really, really…dumb, but I…I never really…" my voice trailed off. I was just making a fool out of myself. "Okay, scratch that. Straight to the point: I'm a total jerk. I thought…if I could just kill him—Itachi—maybe I would be good enough. Maybe I could face the world and say: "hah, in your face, I'm not the useless little brat that ran away from my brother years before." I wanted to prove that I could win, but…he's always _better_ than before. He advances as fast—if not, faster—than I do, so…I needed more power. I needed…_something_.

"But…I've come to realize that that _something_ doesn't require gallivanting off to a pale-as-the-dead snake for emotionless training…there's more than that." I rested a hand on Kari's shoulder. "And…now…I guess that I finally realize what made me realize…that…well…that needed something other than training…was you. I've come face-to-face with my regrets of leaving just now and…it dawned on me…" my eyes wandered to the window, gazing at the moon in its milk-white luminescence. "I sure as heck can't abandon this town if you're in it."

This statement provoked a response from my teammate. She lifted her head off of her knees slowly, astonished, and turned to look at me with wide, ice-blue eyes that were pale red from crying. "What?" She choked out.

I met her gaze evenly. "Gomen nasai, Iruzika-chan," I apologized again. "I've been such a…a…pig. A selfish, arrogant, cold-shouldered pig. I…just want you to forget what happened. I swear, I will never leave you. Please…will you forgive me?"

She blinked sluggishly. "Why…why wouldn't I?"

"Uh, I don't know, because I'm the biggest slime ball in all of history?"

"Well, of course, then," she smiled a tiny bit. "Just 'cause you'll admit it."

And then she burst into tears again. This time, I was more inclined to think that it was from happiness instead of utter grief. Attempting a comforting older-brother-y approach, I sat next to her on the bed, half-hugging her awkwardly.

And then I heard it.

"Sa-su-ke!" A voice called from down the hall. _Naruto?_

The shout came again, closer this time, and I braced myself. Here came the tsunami of questions. I could just picture him: _"Whoa, Sasuke, why the heck are you in Kari-chan's room? Oh, wait, why the heck are you sitting on the bed with her and—HOLY CHEESE AND FRAP, SASUKE, WHAT THE HE** DID YOU DO TO MAKE HER CRY?"_ Yep. I was in for it.

"I'm in here, baka," I said evenly, resigning to my fate. Sure enough, the blonde ninja waltzed in wearing pajamas and a ridiculous sleeping-cap, his blue eyes burning with curiosity.  
"What do you want, Naruto?" Here comes the punishment—

"What the heck happened to your door?"

Oh. My. Gawsh.

***Karinami's POV***

It had been about a week since my little emo-sob-fest over Sasuke. Luckily, we convinced Naruto that he had kicked the door off its hinges while sleepwalking, and the rest of the cover up was simply not mentioning why Sasuke had to unpack all of his clothes the next day. Even Kakashi-sensei didn't look suspicious.

My favorite thing to do at night other than photograph the moon through leafy tree branches is, hands down, watching the stars. Sasuke was aware of this, which explains how he found me on that night as I sat on the roof and watched the sky.

"Hey," he greeted plainly, copping a seat next to me.

"Hey," I replied, equally monotone in sound. He gave me a glare like: _don't even go there, honey, or you're skating on thin ice_. I just grinned.

"Man, I'm glad that whole thing with the door blew over," he admitted, leaning back.

"I was sure somebody would notice the distinctive heel-mark gouged into the surface," I admitted. "But that may've just led them to think that Tsunade-sama had gotten drunk and accidentally blew up the door."

Sasuke shrugged in a neutral agreement. "Maybe."

We sat in silence for awhile, the twinkling stars reflected in our eyes. Somewhere across a few streets, a couple was loudly discussing the new "Make-Out Paradise" movie.

"You remember what I said last week, about never being able to leave as long as you're in Konohagakure?" Sasuke asked suddenly.

"Uh, yeah."

He paused, as if he was just making sure that I could recall his words. "…I meant it, I'd like to have you know. Every word."

"I thought so, but—"

"I love you," he interrupted, and my heart decided to skip a few beats. I blinked and could see him slightly looking away, like he was sure I would slap him across the face.

"But—how—?" My face must have been a mask of disbelief, because he laughed; a real, you're-lame-but-it's-funny Sasuke laugh. When he finally looked at me, his mouth was tugged up in the trademark smirk, an amused glint in his eye as he leaned in to kiss me.

"How can I begin to tell you…?"

**AN: THE END! So, did you all like it? I certainly had fun writing it, so I hope you enjoyed! Comments and questions are just one click away, so send you're opinion please! (Really) the end!**

**Note: If you would like to see me write a fanfiction with Kari and a certain character (male only, please), just send me a P.M. The fanfiction pairings that I am currently working on will be posted on my homepage to avoid multiple requests for a character I'm already in the process of writing. If you would like me to work on a fanfiction for a different anime or manga, P.M. me as well but I can't ensure all of those will be fulfilled at the moment, especially if I've never heard of or read/watched the anime/manga. Thanks!**

_Mini dictionary:_

_Gomen nasai: I'm so sorry_

_Damatte: shut up_


End file.
